[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1243 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1243

  Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the International Space Station.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 30, 2020

Mr. Weber of Texas (for himself, Mr. Posey, Mr. Norman, Mr. Perlmutter, 
 Mr. Beyer, and Ms. Wexton) submitted the following resolution; which 
    was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the International Space Station.

Whereas, since November 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) has been 
        continuously occupied by more than 240 astronauts from the United States 
        and other countries, during that time, have conducted over 3,000 
        experiments in microgravity environment, focusing on human health, 
        exploration, space studies, engineering development, and materials 
        testing;
Whereas the activities conducted on the ISS continue to help develop the 
        National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) capabilities for 
        long-duration, deep-space missions to the Moon and Mars, and are 
        assisting businesses, other government agencies, and university 
        researchers to develop knowledge and products that have and will result 
        in benefits to humanity for years to come;
Whereas with its many ongoing research projects and its educational outreach 
        touching the lives of people around the world, the ISS is the world's 
        preeminent spaceflight program today, helping to improve life on Earth 
        even as it inspires our species to reach for the stars;
Whereas as a joint project of the NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the 
        European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan 
        Aerospace Exploration Agency, the ISS is the result of a remarkable 
        collaboration between 15 countries, sharing the most advanced 
        technologies in the world for the peaceful and the productive use of 
        space;
Whereas NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is the American 
        headquarters for the ISS, one of the most impressive scientific and 
        engineering achievements in history;
Whereas NASA's industry contractors and suppliers who helped design, build, 
        integrate, and now operate the station have provided a critical service 
        to the United States and NASA, as well as international partner agencies 
        and the astronaut crews that have lived and served aboard the ISS for 
        over 20 years;
Whereas as the largest structure that humans have ever put into space, the ISS 
        is made up of pressurized modules held together by external trusses and 
        powered by a vast array of solar panels;
Whereas the ISS is the length of a football field, and the solar array has the 
        wingspan of a Boeing 777;
Whereas orbiting the globe every 92 minutes at an altitude of roughly 250 miles, 
        the ISS is large enough to be seen from the surface of the Earth by the 
        naked eye;
Whereas the ISS has been significantly upgraded to allow for an extension of its 
        mission to enable cutting edge research;
Whereas the ISS is the key enabler of commercial opportunities in low-Earth 
        orbit;
Whereas the ISS platform is essential to furthering human exploration by 
        providing critical research and system testing for upcoming crewed 
        exploration missions to the Moon and Mars; and
Whereas the ISS is critical to maintaining United States leadership in low-Earth 
        orbit: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the International 
        Space Station (ISS);
            (2) commends the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration (NASA) for its achievements as part of the ISS 
        program and the Americans who have given to it so much of their 
        skill, effort, and passion;
            (3) recognizes the many men and women supporting ISS 
        operations on the ground that enable the continued safe 
        utilization of the ISS;
            (4) recognizes the more than 240 United States and 
        international astronauts that have lived and worked aboard the 
        ISS to help build, integrate, operate, and maintain the ISS;
            (5) recognizes the importance of the ISS for scientific 
        discovery, human exploration, and international cooperation; 
        and
            (6) recognizes the importance of maintaining operation of 
        the ISS as a national capability that serves a critical service 
        to a range of government and commercial users.
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