Military Families Unification Act of 2003

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 723.

It was 35 years ago that humans first walked on the Moon. It was a magnificent achievement and it is fitting that we in the House of Representatives pause to commemorate it today. The landing of Eagle at Tranquility Base was the culmination of a national effort that began in 1961 when a young, energetic President, John F. Kennedy, challenged America to achieve great things in space. America rose to that challenge and barely 8 years after President Kennedy said that we would go to the Moon by the end of the decade, we did.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took those historic first steps on July 20, 1969, while Mike Collins orbited overhead and all the world's population held its collective breath. Clearly Neil, Buzz and Mike had the ``right stuff,'' as did the other Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts and as do the astronauts who are serving in our Nation's space program today.

Yet it was not just the heroism and steel nerves of the astronauts that made Apollo a success. It was the efforts of tens of thousands of unsung heroes from government, industry and academia, namely the scientists, engineers, program managers, technicians and others who individually and collectively made it possible for 12 Americans to land on and explore the surface of the Moon between 1969 and 1972.

I was teaching physical science in a middle school during that time. The children in my classes, their eyes would light up when we would watch on television and discuss what was going on. The interest that developed from them was unimaginable. I know that it is what inspired so many of those young people to want to become the astronauts of today.

Neil Armstrong spoke his first words from the Moon to Mission Control in the Ninth District of Texas, where we have neighbors who worked on the Apollo program and some who participate in the space exploration efforts of today. That is where those kids that I taught went to work.

Last July, Glynn and Marilyn Lunney from my district brought their two grandchildren to my office to take a tour of this Capitol. In passing the statue of Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert downstairs, Mrs. Lunney said, ``There's Jack.'' They knew who Jack was because Mr. Lunney had been a flight director on Apollo missions, including Apollo 11. The Lunneys are just a few of the many individuals in Texas' Ninth Congressional District whom I salute today.

The Lunneys' son started a company that took one of those spin-offs from the space exploration efforts to create a vagus nerve stimulator which saves the lives of people who are suffering from epilepsy and seizures today. So many wonderful things have come from that program.

Just beyond the fences of Johnson Space Center are reminders of the living legacy of NASA's pioneer programs in our community. The names of sports teams, local businesses, and even the streets that we drive display the impact of manned space flight. Today, I salute all southeast Texans involved in manned space flight, including Johnson Space Center's civil service and contractor workforce of over 16,000 in Houston's bay area.

I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this congressional resolution commemorating a shining achievement that is an inspiration to all they do. Yet I have to confess that I look forward to the day when we will not just be commemorating the past but will also be celebrating new accomplishments in space exploration.

The last Americans, indeed the last human beings, to venture out beyond low Earth orbit visited the Moon 32 years ago. It is time for Americans to get back to the Moon. And it is time for Americans to set out on voyages of exploration to all of the interesting places in our solar system. Robotic explorers have already blazed a scientifically productive trail, and they will continue to do so in the years to come, but I have no doubt that humans will, and should, follow.

I want America to lead that exploration effort, and I intend to work with the White House and my colleagues in Congress to craft an exploration program that all America will embrace. However, that is work for another day. Today is a day for commemorating the achievement of the Apollo team. I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).

(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Houston, Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my friend the gentlewoman from Dallas, Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), another active member of the Committee on Science.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) for sponsoring this bill and for allowing me to join him and all of those who spoke.

The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) is so very right about the people who made this happen. When we sat here on Earth, I guess I can put it in the context of what is happening today.

When I come to this floor of the House of Representatives, it is such a magnificent thrill to me. I cannot imagine the thrill that it must have been to Neil, Buzz and Mike and all those other folks who went up there. When they were standing on the Moon, they took with them the hopes, the dreams, the breath of millions of Americans; not just the thousands who helped them get there, because it took a tremendous team to make it happen, but a little bit of piece of each one of us went up there with them.

We thank them for those feelings, we thank them for the magnificent advances to humankind that they gave to us. What a wonderful way to commemorate them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 723.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Feeney) for his great leadership over many years of space.

Mr. Speaker, today's Florida Today editorial started out by saying this: ``On July 20, 1969, humanity changed forever. The moment the boot of astronaut Neil Armstrong touched the surface of the Moon, the future of humanity no longer was tethered to Planet Earth.'' And, indeed, 35 years ago a mesmerized Nation and a mesmerized world watched as Americans landed on the moon. Today we celebrate that accomplishment.

Looking back at the history of the Cape, the human space flight program began in June, 1959, when a Mercury boilerplate capsule was brought down for a test flight called Big Joe, when NASA needed tools at that time, they went to Sears Roebuck in Orlando. They used a flatbed truck, a wooden cradle, and mattresses to transport the Mercury capsule to the launch pad. Just a few years later, Saturn V rockets, the largest rocket ever built, were assembled in the Vehicle Assembly Building, the second largest building in the world, and transported 3 miles by the Crawler Transporter, then the largest tracked vehicle in the world.

Thousands of men and women viewed Apollo as a calling and not just a career. They overcame the tragedy of Apollo 1, guided Apollo 11 through some frightening moments during descent to the lunar surface and shortly after landing, and brought home a crippled Apollo 13 safely.

Inspired by what they witnessed on television, hundreds of thousands of children dedicated themselves to math and to science, thereby giving birth to many of today's science and engineering leaders.

Unfortunately, Apollo was not designed to sustain itself forever. By the end of 1972, mankind retreated to spaceflight around the Earth.

America now possesses a great vision for space exploration under which we will become a spacefaring people once again. We will undertake a paced, sustainable, and affordable journey that breaks free from merely orbiting the Earth. We will not be fixated on a destination and a timetable, but rather pursue an evolving program of exploration and science.

Along the way we, like all explorers, will be surprised by our discoveries. We will unleash the imaginations and talents of thousands of aerospace professionals, reminding all of them why they chose their calling.

Earlier this year, Americans watched in awe as the pictures from Mars came back from the Mars Rovers. In a few months, thousands will line the banks of the Indian and Banana rivers to watch the Shuttle once again return to space. We are a restless, inquisitive, pioneering people. We yearn to go.

Mr. Speaker, I include the full editorial from Florida Today for the Record.

[From Florida Today, July 9, 2004]

Ready for New Goals

On July 20, 1969, humanity changed forever.

The moment the boot of astronaut Neil Armstrong touched the

surface of the moon, the future of humanity no longer was

tethered to planet Earth.

Thirty-five years ago today, as millions worldwide watched

televised images transported more than 250,000 miles through

space, a silent but mighty shift roiled the river of history.

Humankind had become residents of the solar system.

The question now is, will America return to that path of

manned exploration and discovery? Or be satisfied to rest on

great deeds of the past, reported on the yellowing pages of

crumbling newspaper?

For those who remember, that magnificent day and the four

fantastic years that followed made up an odyssey that dwarfed

all other human efforts.

Historians called the human exploration of the lunar

surface mankind's greatest technological achievement.

That claim would get no argument from those lucky enough to

have lived in Brevard County in those breathtaking times.

The vigorous, patriotic and enthusiastic space workers who

poured into this county through the 1960s helped turn Brevard

from a backwater into the single spot on the globe from which

man has journeyed to another celestial body.

They came in response to a challenge by an equally vigorous

president, John F. Kennedy, who in 1961 declared it was

``time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in

space achievement, which in many ways, may hold the key to

our future on earth.''

The goal was clear: The United States must, ``before this

decade is out,'' land a man on the moon and return him safely

to the Earth.

Those words triggered a serendipitous combination of the

leader, the people and the times, to launch a technology that

altered our world.

From communications and telemetry to computers, what came

to be known as the Apollo project generated knowledge that

sent the national economy on a long road of technological

innovation that reverberates today.

Not surprisingly, Brevard in those years averaged among the

highest of any U.S. county in levels of educational

achievement,

creating a legacy of interest that's reflected today in

Brevard schools' strong performance in science and math.

Locally and nationally, the benefits of the Apollo remain

immeasurable.

That's why it's incredible that for more than 30 years, the

moon's cold surface has not felt another human step.

What might science have discovered, 35 years after

Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin made those giant

lunar leaps, if the nation had continued that dazzling

trajectory of human exploration, instead of letting the

banner fall?

Such a softening of national purpose must not--must never--

be the story of the American future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership on this issue and for his leadership here in the Congress on this issue of space exploration for many years.

Today, it has already been mentioned that we celebrate the accomplishments of NASA's Apollo 11 mission. Of course, it was back in 1961 that President Kennedy challenged NASA to meet the goals of sending people to the Moon and back. It was an exciting day only 8 years later when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins represented all Americans when the first human steps were taken on the Moon.

President Bush has issued a new challenge for NASA, the vision for space exploration. I wholeheartedly support NASA in this endeavor, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. NASA is important to this country's economic well-being, and it inspires our children to dream of distant worlds that they may actually see in their lifetime. It may be one of our children or one of our grandchildren who take the first steps on Mars.

Although achieving the President's new vision may be some years in the future, we should all be aware of the many benefits and the spin- offs from NASA that reach all citizens of the United States, including those in each of our districts every day.

NASA-inspired communications satellites connect the world. Other NASA-launched satellites enable weather forecasters to track hurricanes, wildfires, volcanoes, and also assist emergency workers in those areas to prepare ahead in time of events that could have devastating impacts. The NASA power source used to separate the solid rocket boosters from the Space Shuttle is used in Lifeshears, a rescue tool which quickly cuts debris to free victims when they have been in accidents.

NASA has also made tremendous contributions to the medical field. NASA, technology first used to monitor the health of astronauts in space, has enabled health workers in today's hospitals to monitor many patients. One NASA researcher realized that his work study in small particles suspended in liquids could possibly help to detect cataracts, a condition that his father had suffered from. Now the instrument he designed is being adapted to identify other eye diseases, diabetes, and possibly even Alzheimer's.

Another NASA researcher, driven by his own hearing problem, used expertise that he had gained as an electronics instrumentation engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to develop the Cochlear Implant. This device has restored hearing for thousands and allowed others born deaf to hear for the very first time.

A silicone chip originally developed for the Hubble Space Telescope makes breast cancer screening less painful, less expensive, and results in less scarring than the traditional biopsy.

If that is not enough for you to support NASA's budget, consider their dedication to the youth of this Nation. NASA-sponsored or cosponsored programs such as the Student Launch Initiative, the Annual Moonbuggy Race and the Team America Rocketry Challenge reach out directly to our young people and inspire them to look within themselves to invent, create, dream and strive for accomplishments.

NASA's Explorer Schools Programs have touched hundreds of minority and poverty-stricken communities to help educators in those systems with grants, materials, teaching guides and support for their math and science programs. NASA continues to benefit students even after they reach the college and university level through numerous grants, fellowships and programs.

Through these and other programs, NASA and Vision for Space Exploration will inspire this Nation's youth, motivating future generations to study math, science and engineering. The work these young people will aspire to assists them to reach dreams beyond their imagination. What better memorial could there be for the noble astronauts who have given their lives in pursuit of space and exploration than to create a brand-new generation of explorers and visionaries?

As I have detailed here, all citizens of the United States of America benefit in some way from NASA, whether from the thousands of jobs that were created in support of the programs, the commercial spin-offs from the research and technology developed, or by the impact of our young people through NASA's education initiative.

I hope my colleagues this afternoon will join me as we look forward to supporting NASA's budget for fiscal year 2005 and as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Apollo mission.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 723) recognizing the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on this day 35 years ago, two Americans stepped onto the surface of the Moon and ushered in a new era in space exploration. The astronauts of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, not only made history, they also fulfilled an American dream. Their successful Moon landing was the culmination of years of preparation by hundreds of thousands of people in government, in industry, and universities. And they became heroes to all Americans in the process.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy laid out a goal of landing an American on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. On July 16, 1969, NASA launched the Apollo 11 spacecraft into orbit to fulfill this quest. The successful mission demonstrated the United States' technological and economic power, and it established our Nation as the leader in space exploration from that moment to the present.

During their walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took pictures, planted an American flag, and gathered rocks, tangible items to take back to Earth for posterity. They also gave the world a sense of wonder and awe and an enthusiasm about future space travel. Astronaut Neil Armstrong's first step on the lunar surface was indeed a ``giant leap for mankind,'' but it was also a first step toward a new era of discovery and innovation.

The next three decades witnessed enormous strides in space exploration and research. Experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station expanded health research into our most threatening diseases. Microgravity experiments helped scientists fight infections, produce medicines to treat patients who have suffered from strokes, and combat osteoporosis. From the development of MRI technology to microchips, the scientific partnerships between NASA and American universities and companies continue to ensure our Nation's viability, increase our Nation's competitiveness, and help drive our economy.

As Buzz Aldrin said before Congress, the footprints on the Moon ``belong to the American people, and since we came in peace for all mankind, those footprints belong also to all people of the world.'' Michael Collins told Congress, ``Man has always gone where he has been able to go. It is that simple. He will continue pushing back his frontier, no matter how far it may carry

him from his homeland. Someday, in the not too distant future, when I listen to an earthling step out onto the surface of Mars or some other planet, I hope to hear him say: `I come from the United States of America.' ''

We are the keepers of this dream. As we celebrate today's anniversary, we can also rekindle this vision. Venturing to the Moon, Mars and beyond is challenging, but our citizens have never shied away from a challenge. As a democratic people who look to the future for inspiration and solutions, we have a destiny to continue to lead in space travel. In a world marred by conflict, we can once again usher in an era of peaceful exploration.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), chairman of the Committee on Science.

(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), chairman of Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney), another member of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), a member of the Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations, which oversees the Space Station, and one of the major leaders in the space thrust.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon). Cape Canaveral is in his district. He is a long-time member of the Committee on Science and Subcommittee on Space, and is now a member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this week, I rise to pay tribute to the achievements of the past, and to urge my colleagues to set our sights on the potential of the future.

The historic steps taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin 35 years ago will be remembered by future generations as one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th Century. While these steps were taken on another world, they were born right here on Earth. That was an exciting time in my district in North Alabama, which is the home of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the von Braun rocket team. Wernher von Braun, Marshall's first Director, led the development of the roadmap for putting humans on the Moon. Through bold thinking, ingenious engineering, and a lot of good old-fashioned hard work, NASA's engineers and scientists built the colossal Saturn V--a rocket powerful enough to take our astronauts out of the tight grasps of Earth's gravity.

Apollo 11 established the U.S. as the world's leader in space and boosted our economy with technology and innovation. But the most important benefit realized from the Apollo 11 moon landing may have been the effect it had on the children of that era--it inspired them-- us--to dream--to reach for the starts. Like generations before, those who come after us have an inherent desire to explore the unknown.

It is appropriate during this special week for us to give consideration to the future of space exploration, which has been put before us in NASA's new space exploration vision. It begins with the return to flight of the Space Shuttle, and the completion of the ISS as a unique scientific laboratory. It includes the robotic exploration of our solar system and the universe beyond. And it includes the extending of human exploration beyond Earth's orbit--first to the Moon, and then ultimately onto Mars.

To be sure, realizing such a vision will require advances in space transportation systems. But advances in transportation have always opened new frontiers for our civilization. Examples include the first ocean-crossing ships of the New World explorers, the stage coaches and trails of the Great American West, the first transcontinental steam locomotives, the first automobiles off the assembly line, the flight of the Wright Brothers, and the historic escape of the Earth's gravity by the Apollo program. During the era, each of these advances required valuable resources and an unusually high degree of risk-taking, but the return on investment, unpredictable at the time, turned out to be tremendous. Each of these advances would ultimately change the very fabric of our society.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take a few seconds to highlight some results from a Gallup poll on Space Exploration that was just released yesterday.

According to this Gallup poll, over two-thirds of the respondents are interested in America's space program, and only 11% were not interested at all. A majority of the adults surveyed--68%--agree that it is important for the Nation to have a space program that uses both human and robotic exploration. Almost two-thirds of the adults surveyed believe that space exploration should be funded at or above the current level. And 68% of the public supports the space exploration vision, at the funding level of 1% of the Federal budget.

So you see that while we stand here today to honor the epic accomplishments of the past, Americans look forward to realizing the great achievements of the future. Mr. Speaker, I close by extending my congratulations to the many people across our Nation who had a hand in that historic mission 35 years ago.

Today, as Americans, we remember Apollo's race to the Moon with pride, wonder, and awe. And we look forward to many more missions of extraordinary achievement and discovery from our Nation's space program.