To provide for the authorized use of Federal vehicle transportation by certain astronauts.
Sponsors
Ted Cruz
R-TX | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Cruz, without amendment
Mr. Cruz (for himself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill, the "Astronaut Ground Travel Support Act," authorizes NASA to provide ground transportation for astronauts and space flight participants after they return from space missions. It allows NASA to use government vehicles (cars, aircraft, boats) to transport these individuals for post-mission activities, particularly medical monitoring and treatment, until they receive clearance to drive themselves.
Who Benefits and How
- Government astronauts benefit from receiving safe transportation home and to medical appointments after space missions, when they may not be physically cleared to operate a vehicle themselves.
- International partner astronauts and private space flight participants also receive this transportation support, ensuring consistent care for everyone who returns from space.
- NASA's Astronaut Office gains clear legal authority to provide this service, removing bureaucratic uncertainty about whether such transportation was permitted.
Who Bears the Burden and How
- NASA bears the operational burden of maintaining and operating vehicles specifically for astronaut transportation.
- Non-government space flight participants and international partner astronauts must reimburse the U.S. Treasury for their transportation, meaning private astronauts cannot access this benefit for free.
- U.S. taxpayers fund the program for government astronauts, though this is likely a modest cost.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes NASA Administrator to approve ground transportation for astronauts and space flight participants for "official purposes" after missions.
- Defines "official purpose" as post-mission activities including medical research, monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment before receiving clearance to drive.
- Requires the Chief of the Astronaut Office to approve transportation in writing.
- Mandates reimbursement from non-government personnel (international partners and private space flight participants).
- Explicitly overrides restrictions in 31 U.S.C. 1344(a) that would otherwise limit government vehicle use.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
To explicitly authorize the Administrator of NASA to provide ground transportation for government astronauts and space flight participants for official post-mission activities, including medical care, and to allow the use of agency funds for this purpose, overriding certain restrictions.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- "the_chief_of_the_astronaut_office"
- → Chief of the Astronaut Office (NASA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A passenger motor vehicle, aircraft, boat, vessel, or other similar means of transportation that is owned or leased by the United States Government.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology