A resolution recognizing Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy, space shuttle mission specialist of the STS-127 space shuttle mission and the Expedition 19 International Space Station mission, for becoming the 500th person to fly into space.

Whereas Commander Chris Cassidy attended York High School in York, Maine;

Whereas, in 1993, Commander Chris Cassidy earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the United States Naval Academy;

Whereas, in 2000, Commander Chris Cassidy earned a master's degree in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;

Whereas Commander Chris Cassidy honorably served as a Navy SEAL for 10 years;

Whereas Commander Chris Cassidy graduated with honors from Class 192 of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL program;

Whereas, in 2003 and 2004, Commander Chris Cassidy was a Quest speaker at the United States Naval Academy Combat Leadership Seminar;

Whereas Commander Chris Cassidy was awarded a Bronze Star with combat V and a Presidential Unit Citation for leading a 9-day operation at the Zharwar Kili cave complex on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan;

Whereas, in 2004, Commander Chris Cassidy was awarded a second Bronze Star for combat leadership in Afghanistan;

Whereas Commander Chris Cassidy volunteered for and completed a week-long, 180-mile charity kayak trip from Norfolk, Virginia, to Washington, District of Columbia, to raise money and awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation;

Whereas, in May 2004, Commander Chris Cassidy was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to become an astronaut;

Whereas, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on the moon;

Whereas 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission;

Whereas, on July 15, 2009, aboard space shuttle mission STS–127, Commander Chris Cassidy became the 500th person in history to fly into space;

Whereas the primary goal of the STS–127 space shuttle mission is to deliver the final components of the Kibo laboratory of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the International Space Station; and

Whereas the STS–127 mission is essential to the performance of valuable science experiments in the vacuum of space: Now, therefore, be it