Supporting May 2, 2025, as “National Space Day” in recognition of the significant positive impact the aerospace community has and will continue to have on the United States of America.

Supporting May 2, 2025, as “National Space Day” in recognition of the significant positive impact the aerospace community has and will continue to have on the United States of America.

Whereas the aerospace industry and other government partners, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble as “NASA”) and the Armed Forces of the United States, have led the way in space applications, exploration, scientific research, and security in the 20th and 21st centuries;

Whereas Congress has spearheaded the space endeavors of the United States by founding NASA and the Space Force, supporting the national security space enterprise, fostering the commercial space sector's growth, and cementing partnerships with key research centers such as The Aerospace Corporation, Project Air Force, the Center for Naval Analysis, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and all other entities and agencies driving the United States' global leadership and innovation in space;

Whereas NASA developed the Apollo Space Program that launched numerous space exploration missions, including the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969;

Whereas NASA continues to develop far-reaching and high-profile programs and vehicles that expand our scientific ability while inspiring leagues of students, such as the Space Shuttle, which accomplished 135 crewed transportation missions from Earth-to-orbit from 1981 to 2011, the 5 Mars rover vehicles that have explored the surface of Mars since 1997, and the developing moon exploration program Artemis;

Whereas the James Webb Space Telescope represents a pinnacle of international collaboration in space exploration, led by NASA, showcasing the commitment of the United States to leading globally coordinated scientific endeavors to unlock insights into our cosmic origins and our future;

Whereas aerospace scientists, engineers, astronauts, and others, due to their ingenuity, continue to invent a wide variety of space-related technologies and applications that have benefitted humankind, such as the global positioning system, which is now used daily and whose invention is 1 example of the life-changing impact space-related technologies have on our way of life;

Whereas the aerospace industry and its academic partners have not only aided the United States in space exploration and research but also in space-related domains such as national security, science, agriculture, health and medicine, education, and space tourism;

Whereas science, technology, engineering, and math (referred to in this preamble as “STEM”) engagement has been a primary focus of NASA’s mission and a critical initiative for commercial space companies, space museums, and STEM education centers, such as the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas, and the Seattle Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington in an effort to build the workforce of the future;

Whereas the accelerated growth in enthusiasm, interest, and investment in space is continuing a long-standing tradition in the United States of innovation and scientific discovery;

Whereas the rapid expansion of space exploration and the investments made by leaders in the aerospace industry, Congress, NASA, the Armed Services of the United States, universities, and a myriad of others are inspiring generations of new explorers into the final frontier of space; and

Whereas this rapid growth encourages the promotion of educational initiatives to inspire young minds in STEM fields, fostering the next generation of space enthusiasts: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) supports the goals and designation of May 2, 2025, as “National Space Day”;

(2) recognizes the importance of the entire aerospace community, including government agencies, Federally funded research and development centers, industry and education partners, entrepreneurs, and others;

(3) recognizes all of the contributions made to space applications, exploration, and scientific research; and

(4) recognizes the important partnerships between the aerospace industry and our Armed Forces in protecting and defending the United States of America.