§ 70702. Establishment of Commission

• (a) The President shall establish an independent, nonpartisan Commission within the executive branch to investigate any incident that results in the loss of—
  • (1) a space shuttle;
  • (2) the International Space Station or its operational viability;
  • (3) any other orbital or suborbital space vehicle carrying humans that is—
    • (A) owned by the Federal Government; or
    • (B) being used pursuant to a contract or Space Act Agreement with the Federal Government for carrying a government astronaut or a researcher funded by the Federal Government; or
  • (4) a crew member or passenger of any space vehicle described in this subsection.
• (b) The President shall establish a Commission within 7 days after an incident specified in subsection (a).
• (c) In this section:
  • (1) The term “government astronaut” has the meaning given the term in section 50902.
  • (2) The term “Space Act Agreement” means an agreement entered into by the Administration pursuant to its other transactions authority under section 20113(e).