Posted: Thu, Mar 4, 2004, 10:10 AM ET (1510 GMT)
The House of Representatives passed by a nearly unanimous vote Wednesday legislation that would provide awards to amateur astronomers who discover near Earth asteroids (NEAs). The Charles "Pete" Conrad Astronomy Awards Act, HR 912, gives the NASA administrator the authority to give $3,000 annual awards to US amateur astronomers who discover the largest NEA in a given year or who otherwise make the biggest contribution to NEA searches. The bill, named after the late Apollo astronaut, was introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) last year. The bill passed the House on a 404-1 vote, with only Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) dissenting.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  House Science Committee press release
•  HR 912 information