[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF NASA

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, the 40th anniversary of NASA is 
historic. It does have an impact on my State of California. I want to 
take a moment and wish NASA a happy birthday. I want to salute the fact 
that they have captured the world's imagination with missions such as 
the Mars Pathfinder and the Hubbell Space Telescope. Experiments and 
technological feats performed on Space Shuttle missions are paving the 
way for a permanent presence in space.
  Mr. President, as I said, I join my colleagues in recognizing the 
many historic achievements that the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration has made in its forty years of service.
  This is a particularly exciting period for our space program, not 
simply because NASA is celebrating its 40th Anniversary but more 
importantly because of the major advances being made in the exploration 
of our solar system.
  As I said, in recent years, NASA has captured the world's imagination 
with missions such as the Mars Pathfinder and the Hubble Space 
Telescope. Experiments and technological feats performed on Space 
Shuttle missions are paving the way for a permanent presence in space.
  One of the most telling signs of our changing world is that, NASA, 
whose original mission was national defense in the cold war with the 
Soviet Union, is now working with Russia to develop the first 
International Space Station.
  I am very proud to say that some of NASA's most valuable research has 
been accomplished in my home State of California. In 1958, the Jet 
Propulsion Lab in Pasadena built and controlled the first United States 
satellite sent into orbit. In the four decades that have followed, JPL 
has contributed to the exploration of most of the known planets in our 
solar system.
  The full list of JPL's role in planetary exploration is far too long 
to address here. But I want to mention one recent accomplishment. In 
December of 1996, NASA launched the Mars Pathfinder, another JPL built 
and controlled spacecraft.
  The Pathfinder successfully placed a rover on the surface of the red 
planet that beamed-back pictures that were viewed around the world with 
awe. I actually had the unique pleasure to visit JPL last year and was 
actually able to send commands up to the rover and then watch and see 
the rover move based on the command. It was rather amazing because the 
computer I was on actually went to a station in the desert which then 
beamed it directly to Mars, and so a few minutes after I pressed the 
command into the computer, I actually watched the rover move on the 
planet Mars. It was an amazing experience.
  California is also home to one of NASA's premier research 
laboratories, the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. NASA Ames provides 
research in the fields of supercomputing, software development, and 
automated reasoning. As the lead center for Aviation Operations 
Systems, Ames manages the research effort in air traffic control and 
has the major responsibility for wind tunnel testing and simulation.
  As California has been a major partner in NASA's success in the past, 
we will continue to lead as we move into the 21st century. NASA has 
developed a strategic plan that will build on its accomplishments with 
a renewed focus on scientific research and the application of a new 
cutting-edge technology. I am confident that California will continue 
to provide the backbone for this program.
  I want to take a few moments to talk about what I believe is one of 
the most remarkable feats in the history of a space program filled with 
remarkable feats. Later this month, the Space Shuttle Discovery will be 
embarking on Mission STS-95. As we know, our colleague, Senator John 
Glenn will be making his second trip into space on this flight. While 
his presence will certainly be missed here in the Senate, I know my 
colleagues share my pride in his achievements and wish him the best on 
his historic return to space.
  On February 20, 1962, John Glenn piloted the ``Friendship 7'' 
spacecraft on the U.S.'s first manned obtial mission. During the almost 
5 hour flight, Senator Glenn worked on some of the first technical and 
medical experiments ever performed while orbiting the Earth.
  Now, more than 35 years after that first flight, Senator Glenn will 
soon be returning to space. It is interesting to note some of the 
advancements that have been made since that first ground breaking 
flight.
  The shuttle's flight will last 9 days instead of 5 hours, it will 
orbit the planet at 345 miles an hour rather than 16, and it will 
circle the Earth 144 times rather than 3. The comparison between these 
two flights capsulizes the advancements that have been made in the 
space program and it is remarkable that one man will experience both.
  Senator Glenn has done more to promote our space program than perhaps 
any other person. Millions of people held their collective breath as he 
led the country into orbit of the Earth in 1962 and the world will 
again watch as he leads NASA into the next century.
  Mr. President, it is with great pride and respect that I pay tribute 
to the many achievements NASA has made in its first 40 years. I know 
that I stand with the rest of the nation in anticipation of what will 
be accomplished in the next 40.

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