IV
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1557
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 16, 2026
Mr. Whitesides (for himself, Mr. Fong, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Obernolte, and Ms. Chu) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the rollout of Space Shuttle Enterprise from the Rockwell International plant in Palmdale, California.
Whereas, on July 26, 1972, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected the Space Division of North American Rockwell Corporation, later known as Rockwell International, to build the first Space Shuttle orbiter;
Whereas construction of Orbiter Vehicle-101 (OV–101), the first Space Shuttle orbiter, began at Rockwell’s Downey, California, plant on June 4, 1974, with final assembly completed at Rockwell’s plant in Palmdale, California;
Whereas, on September 17, 1976, OV–101 was publicly rolled out at the Rockwell International facility in Palmdale, California;
Whereas the orbiter was named Enterprise, following a nationwide write-in campaign by fans of the television series Star Trek that prompted President Gerald R. Ford to signal his agreement to NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher;
Whereas Enterprise conducted five free flight tests that proved the safety of the shuttle’s handling and landing characteristics in the air above Edwards Air Force Base within the Antelope Valley;
Whereas the design, construction, and testing of Enterprise reflected the skill, ingenuity, and dedication of thousands of engineers, technicians, and workers of California’s Antelope Valley aerospace workforce;
Whereas the city of Palmdale and the broader Antelope Valley region, home to Air Force Plant 42 and located near Edwards Air Force Base, continues to serve as a center of American aerospace innovation, flight testing, and manufacturing;
Whereas the legacy of Enterprise lives on in the achievements of the Space Shuttle program, which flew 135 missions over three decades and advanced human spaceflight, scientific research, and international cooperation in space;
Whereas the scientific contributions of the Space Shuttle program, made possible in part by the testing conducted on Enterprise, reinforced the United States commitment to expanding the frontiers of human exploration; and
Whereas September 17, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of the public rollout of Space Shuttle Enterprise: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
commemorates the 50th anniversary of the rollout of Space Shuttle Enterprise from the Rockwell International plant in Palmdale, California;
honors the engineers, technicians, and workers of the Antelope Valley and the broader aerospace community who contributed to the design, construction, and testing of Enterprise;
recognizes the enduring contributions of the Space Shuttle program to American scientific achievement, technological innovation, and national leadership in space exploration; and
encourages the people of the United States to celebrate the historic role of California’s aerospace workforce in the nation’s space program.