[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   HONORING THE U.S. ASTRONAUTS WHO FLEW IN SPACE TO EXPLORE THE MOON

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 261) to honor the United 
States astronauts who flew in space as a part of the program of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration to reach and explore the 
Moon.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 261

       Whereas on May 25, 1961, the President of the United States 
     established a goal for the country to land a man on the Moon 
     and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade;
       Whereas in furtherance of that goal, 34 American astronauts 
     flew 27 missions in space;
       Whereas in their efforts to achieve that goal, 3 astronauts 
     died in the tragic Apollo 204 fire on the launch pad and 4 
     others died in T-38 crashes while in training;
       Whereas the goal of the President was achieved on July 20, 
     1969 when the Lunar Module, Eagle, landed on the surface of 
     the Moon carrying a crew of 2 astronauts;
       Whereas a total of 24 American astronauts flew to the 
     vicinity of the Moon and 12 of them landed on and explored 
     its surface;
       Whereas the successful execution of the program to reach 
     and explore the Moon was one of the greatest achievements in 
     the history of mankind;
       Whereas the hardware and astronauts involved in the Lunar 
     program subsequently flew 3 Skylab missions, and 1 
     international Apollo-Soyuz mission;
       Whereas the astronauts who put their lives on the line by 
     flying in space in the execution of that program are true 
     national heroes; and
       Whereas these astronauts should receive popular recognition 
     from a grateful Nation for their tremendous achievement: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House or Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That henceforth Buzz Aldrin (Gemini 12, Apollo 
     11), William Alison Anders (Apollo 8), Neil Alden Armstrong 
     (Gemini 8, Apollo 11), Charles Arthur Bassett II (died in T-
     38 crash), Alan LaVern Bean (Apollo 12, Skylab 3), Frank 
     Borman (Gemini 7, Apollo 8), Vance DeVoe Brand (Apollo-
     Soyuz), Malcolm Scott Carpenter (Mercury-Atlas 7), Gerald 
     Paul Carr (Skylab 4,) Eugene Andrew Cernan (Gemini 9, Apollo 
     10, Apollo 17), Roger Bruce Chaffee (Apollo 204), Michael 
     Collins (Gemini 10, Apollo 11), Charles Conrad, Jr. (Gemini 
     5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2), Leroy Gordon Cooper, 
     Jr. (Mercury-Atlas 9, Gemini 5), Ronnie Walter Cunningham 
     (Apollo 7), Charles Moss Duke, Jr. (Apollo 16), Donn 
     Fulton Eisele (Apollo 7), Ronald Ellwin Evans (Apollo 17), 
     Theodore Cordy Freeman (died in T-38 crash), Owen Kay 
     Garriott (Skylab 3), Edward George Gibson (Skylab 4), John 
     Herschel Glenn, Jr. (Mercury-Atlas 6), Richard Francis 
     Gordon, Jr. (Gemini 11, Apollo 12), Virgil Ivan Grissom 
     (Mercury-Redstone 5, Gemini 3, Apollo 204), Fred Wallace 
     Haise, Jr. (Apollo 13), James Benson Irwin (Apollo 15), 
     Joseph Peter Kerwin (Skylab 2), Jack Robert Lousma (Skylab 
     3), James Arthur Lovell, Jr. (Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 
     8, Apollo 13), Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II (Apollo 16), 
     James Alton McDivitt (Gemini 4, Apollo 9), Edgar Dean 
     Mitchell (Apollo 14), William Reid Pogue (Skylab 4), 
     Stuart Allen Roosa (Apollo 14), Walter Marty Sehirra, Jr. 
     (Mercury-Atlas 8, Gemini 6, Apollo 7), Harrison Hagan 
     Schmitt (Apollo 17), Russell Louis Schweichart (Apollo 9), 
     David Randolph Scott (Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15), 
     Elliot McKay See, Jr. (died in T-38 crash), Allan Bartlett 
     Shepard, Jr. (Mercury-Redstone 3, Apollo 14), Donald Kent 
     Slayton (Apollo-Soyuz), Thomas Patten Stafford (Gemini 6, 
     Gemini 9, Apollo 10, Apollo-Soyuz), John Leonard Swigert, 
     Jr. (Apollo 13), Paul Joseph Weitz (Skylab 2), Edward 
     Higgins White II (Gemini 4, Apollo 204), Clifton Curtis 
     Williams, Jr. (died in T-38 crash), Alfred Merrill Worden 
     (Apollo 15), and John Watts Young (Gemini 3, Gemini 10, 
     Apollo 10, Apollo 16) shall carry the honorary title Space 
     Emissary and shall be referred to as ``The Honorable''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule; the gentleman from 
Texas [Mr. Hall] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the gentleman 
from Florida [Mr. Lewis] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall].
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on July 20, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of 
the Apollo Moon landing.
  This event marks one of the greatest achievements in all of human 
history.
  In addition, this event represents one of the key victories of the 
cold war, providing the world with an unparalleled example of what can 
be achieved by a democratic nation of free people.
  In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, great explorers had 
mountains, cities, countries, or even entire continents named in their 
honor.
  In the former Soviet Union, astronauts were routinely bestowed with 
the highest honor that could be given by that country--``Hero of the 
Soviet Union.''
  But, measured by these standards, the U.S. Government has done little 
to recognize officially the extraordinary accomplishments and valor of 
our own astronaut heroes.
  I recently discussed with Buzz Aldrin, one of the crew members of 
that historic Apollo flight 25 years ago, what might be done to correct 
this oversight.
  On the basis of these discussions, I prepared the resolution that we 
are considering today.
  The resolution recognizes these national heroes by name; confers on 
them an honorary title of ``Space Emissary''; and permits them 
henceforth to be referred to as ``The Honorable.''
  I can appreciate that the action that is proposed in this resolution 
is unprecedented in our Nation--but so too are the accomplishments of 
these great American heroes.
  I believe that the time is long overdue for the Government of the 
United States to confer on these individuals a measure of the formal 
honor and recognition that they clearly deserve.
  Accordingly, I ask for suspension of the rules and adoption of House 
Concurrent Resolution 261.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 261 honors the United States 
NASA astronauts who explored the Moon.
  The question of where were you on July 20, 1969, is answered by 
virtually anyone old enough to remember. It was the day man first 
walked on the Moon.
  From the beginning of Eagle's powered descent until it landed, the 
suspense was nonstop. First a signal indicated that the computer was 
overloaded 5 minutes into the descent, that was quickly corrected.
  As Eagle's descent continued, the engines churned up so much dust 
that the Moon's surface could not be seen from 100 feet above. Thirty 
feet from the surface Eagle began to drift backward. With mere seconds 
to adjust, only 30 seconds of fuel was left for landing.
  Pope Paul II called on the world to pray for the mission's success.
  We all held our breath until we heard, ``The Eagle has landed.''
  This resolution before us honors the Apollo II astronauts and all the 
others who bravely explored the Moon.
  They richly deserve this honor on the 25th anniversary of the first 
men on the Moon.
  I urge the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 261.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall], for honoring our United States 
astronauts.
  Mr. Speaker, let me put this in perspective a little bit. I was 
attending a youth conference and Apollo astronaut Wally Schirra was 
present. A young lady asked Mr. Schirra: ``Were you afraid when they 
launched you on your Apollo space mission?'' Mr. Schirra answered the 
young lady by saying, ``Young lady, there I was, strapped in with a 
million pounds of liquid propellant under my rear end, a million moving 
parts in that rocket, and every one put there by the lowest bidder. Do 
you think I was afraid or my anxiety level was a little elevated?''
  At a time when we need national heroes in our country, I think the 
concurrent resolution offered by the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall], 
is not only timely, but very necessary. As a cosponsor of House 
Concurrent Resolution 261, I fully support it.
  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House 
Concurrent Resolution 261. I would like to add my voice to those who 
have argued that we have waited too long to pay proper homage to the 
bravery and honor of the young Americans who put their lives on the 
line to participate in the unprecedented program to place a man on the 
Moon and return him safely to Earth within a decade.
  Those of us who were alive during the time of these early space 
flights will recall the excitement, awe, and pride that they 
engendered.
  With the passage of time, we have come to realize even more fully 
just how extensive were the risks that were being taken by these brave 
men. For example, the Redstone, Atlas, and Titan rockets that were used 
in the Mercury and Gemini programs were very prone to blow up, and all 
of the early manned spacecraft--including Apollo--were notorious for 
experiencing technical and in some cases life-threatening problems.
  As we look back over all of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights 
we find that a significant number almost resulted in the loss of the 
crew. Clearly, these were very, very brave young men.
  But the risk is not the only important part of what these astronauts 
were doing--they were at the forefront of one of the most adventurous, 
exciting, and uplifting periods of exploration of the unknown in modern 
history.
  Past societies have all but deified their great explorers. In the 
Soviet Union, all of the cosmonauts who flew in space were awarded the 
highest honors that the country could bestow. But, here in the United 
States, our astronaut heroes have received little in the way of formal 
government recognition and honor.
  When these men were flying in space, they did much to excite and 
inspire us. My greatest disappointment is that this important period of 
exploration and discovery came to an end. It is indeed sad that as 
recently predicted by one of the Apollo astronauts--``By the time of 
the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo landing on the 
Moon, there will be no human alive who has walked on another world''.
  This is the first great frontier that we as Americans have retreated 
from. What is all the more tragic, we are retreating in the face of 
victory, not defeat.
  I believe that the time is right for us to formally honor these brave 
men who put their lives on the line to get us to the Moon 25 years ago. 
Then, I would like to see us build on the foundation that they laid, 
and get back on track with our inevitable destiny to become a space 
fairing nation.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall] that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 261.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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