[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE LATE ADMIRAL ALAN SHEPARD

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                       HON. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 22, 1998

  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, it is with a sense of sadness 
that I note the passing today of Alan Shepard, an authentic American 
hero. Admiral Shepard will always be remembered for having the ``right 
stuff''. He was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, and he 
won an enduring place in history by being the first American in space. 
His 15-minute suborbital flight in the Freedom-7 capsule on top of a 
Redstone rocket on May 5, 1961 provided a badly needed boost to the 
American psyche, coming less than a month after the Soviets had 
launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit. Admiral Shepard's successful mission 
cleared the way for President Kennedy to announce the goal of landing a 
man on the moon by the end of the 1960s.
  Alan Shepard was the consummate professional as an astronaut. Even 
after being sidelined for several years by a medical condition, he kept 
himself trained and fit in case it proved possible to return to flight 
status. His perseverance was rewarded when he eventually was returned 
to flight status as the Commander of the Apollo 14 mission to the moon. 
The Apollo 14 crew made the third successful manned landing on the moon 
on February 5, 1971, and they restored our confidence in America's 
lunar exploration program--confidence that had been shaken in the wake 
of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission.
  Mr. Speaker, the nation's space program has made great progress since 
those early days in 1961. We have landed 12 human beings on the moon. 
We have sent probes to every planet in the solar system save one. We 
have satellites that probe the mysteries of the universe and that help 
us to better understand our own planet Earth. We also have spacecraft 
that help us better forecast the weather and communicate around the 
world. We now send both men and women into space in an almost routine 
manner, and we are engaged in a cooperative project with 15 other 
nations to build a space station in Earth orbit. We have indeed come 
far in space since 1961. However, we should never forget the 
individuals who have helped bring us to this point. Alan Shepard was 
one of the most distinguished of those individuals.
  I know that I speak for all Members when I say that we send our 
deepest condolences to his family.

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