[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 344 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 344

     Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Robert Lawrence Jr.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 29, 2017

 Mr. Nelson (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Markey, 
Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Thune) submitted the following resolution; which 
                      was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Robert Lawrence Jr.

Whereas Robert Lawrence was born on October 2, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois and 
        graduated from Englewood High School at the age of 16;
Whereas Robert Lawrence began his Air Force career in the Reserve Officer 
        Training Corps when he was a teenager attending Bradley University;
Whereas Robert Lawrence received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from 
        Bradley University in 1956;
Whereas Robert Lawrence was commissioned a second lieutenant into the U.S. Air 
        Force upon graduation at age 20;
Whereas Robert Lawrence completed flight training at Malden Air Force Base in 
        1956 and was designated a U.S. Air Force pilot;
Whereas Robert Lawrence was assigned as an instructor pilot for the German air 
        force, flying T-33 trainers at Furstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich;
Whereas Robert Lawrence accrued over 2,500 hours of flight time with 2,000 of 
        those hours in jets;
Whereas Robert Lawrence earned his Ph.D. in 1965, after delivering his doctoral 
        dissertation entitled ``The Mechanism of the Tritium Beta-Ray Induced 
        Exchange Reactions of Deuterium with Methane and Ethane in the Gas 
        Phase'';
Whereas Robert Lawrence was selected as an astronaut in the Department of 
        Defense's Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1967;
Whereas Robert Lawrence was instrumental in compiling flight maneuver data that 
        was used in the development of the Space Shuttle for the National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration; and
Whereas on December 8, 1967, Robert Lawrence died in a crash of an F-104 
        Starfighter at Edwards Air Force Base, leaving behind an inspiring 
        career in the STEM field and spaceflight awareness to encourage a 
        generation of young scientists and astronauts: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate honors the life of Dr. Robert Lawrence 
Jr., an Air Force Major, test pilot, and the first African-American 
astronaut selected for spaceflight.
                                 <all>