III 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 307 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 21 (legislative day, October 20), 2011 Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Vitter, and Ms. Landrieu) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the men and women of the John C. Stennis Space Center on reaching the historic milestone of 50 years of rocket engine testing.

Whereas, 50 years ago this month, on October 25, 1961, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble as NASA) publicly announced plans to establish a testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, for the purpose of flight-certifying all first and second stages of the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo lunar landing program that would take humans to the Moon; Whereas the testing facility was renamed the John C. Stennis Space Center (referred to in this preamble as the Stennis Space Center) in 1988 in honor of United States Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi; Whereas the Stennis Space Center conducted 45 engine tests for the Apollo program; Whereas the Stennis Space Center is now home to the largest rocket engine test complex in the United States and serves as the premier rocket-propulsion testing facility in the United States, providing propulsion test services for NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial providers; Whereas NASA has celebrated the end of a successful Space Shuttle program, having conducted more than 2,000 total space shuttle main engine tests and certified 54 flight engines at the Stennis Space Center; Whereas, as NASA enters a new era in space exploration, the Stennis Space Center will continue to play a vital role in the United States space program and commercial space efforts; Whereas the Stennis Space Center has grown into a unique Federal city that includes more than 30 Federal, State, academic, and private organizations, and numerous technology-based companies; Whereas the companies and agencies at the Stennis Space Center share the cost of operating and maintaining the facility, making the accomplishment of missions by each entity more cost-effective; Whereas the Stennis Space Center is home to— (1)the United States Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, which includes the largest concentration of oceanographers in the world; (2)the most powerful supercomputer of the United States Navy; and (3)the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage, which is facilitating the data center consolidation efforts by the Department of Homeland Security; Whereas the Stennis Space Center played a critical role during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by providing unique resources and expertise on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem to predict the spread and impact of the spill; Whereas the Stennis Space Center is an economic engine for Mississippi and Louisiana, generating— (1)approximately 5,400 jobs; (2)a direct global economic impact of $875,000,000; and (3)a direct economic impact of $616,000,000 within a 50-mile radius; and Whereas the Stennis Space Center is committed to continuing in the role of inspiring the next generation of United States scientists, engineers, and professionals: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)congratulates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on reaching the historic milestone of the 50th anniversary of the John C. Stennis Space Center; and (2)honors the men and women who worked tirelessly to design, build, and test the rocket engines used in the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs in order to promote science, engineering, innovation, and exploration to the benefit of the United States and all humankind.