CONGRESS OKS NASA PLANS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Congress agreed to terms on NASA legislation formally endorsing the plan to return man to the moon and expanding a prize program inspired in part by the Ansari X Prize.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Act of 2005, agreed to by negotiators of both the Senate and House of Representatives, formally incorporates the ``Vision for Space Exploration'' announced in January 2004 by President George W. Bush, directing a new moon mission program.

The bill's language directs a ``sustained human presence on the moon'' as a means to provide a steppingstone for future missions to Mars.

``I believe that investing in NASA is an investment in our nation's future,'' said U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, chairman of the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics and one of the bill's negotiators.

``Even in this time of budget deficits, the United States cannot abandon NASA's research and technology, and exploration programs - it is not in the American spirit to shy away from this investment in our global leadership.''

NASA estimates it will cost $104 billion to return astronauts to the moon by 2018. The first step of that effort is the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle, a spacecraft that will replace the space shuttle.

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base will be involved in both the development of the CEV and in its operations. Anticipated work for the program at Dryden includes flight testing of a launch abort system, drop tests of a subscale model to evaluate approach and landing technologies and procedures, and range safety analyses.

Dryden is also expected to be the site for landings when the spacecraft is ready to fly. The bill continues the Centennial Challenges, a prize program NASA started last year. The bill allows for multimillion-dollar prizes, but NASA must consult with Congress on any purse of $10 million or more.

The Centennial Challenges were inspired in part by the $10 million Ansari X Prize that was won last year by Mojave aviation designer Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne rocket plane for the first private, manned suborbital spaceflights.

One potential prize competition is for a manned orbital spaceflight. The X Prize Foundation prepared a study for NASA outlining key aspects of such a competition.

The study suggests two competitions. The first would be for a manned orbital spaceflight that would have a $50 million prize for first team to achieve the feat and a $25 million second-place prize.

The study suggests following that competition with a more ambitious competition that would award $150 million to the first team to make two manned orbital spaceflights within 60 days. A $75 million second-place prize would be offered.

Having multiple prizes would encourage more teams to compete, the study said.