[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 105 (Monday, September 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. ROBERT E. (BUD) CRAMER, JR.

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 11, 2000

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize tomorrow's 40th 
anniversary of the dedication by president Dwight Eisenhower of the 
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.
  Since the Marshall Center opened its doors for business under the 
direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun on July 1, 1960, it has played a 
pivotal role in our Nation's space program. Led by the von Braun Rocket 
Team, the Marshall Center developed the Mercury-Redstone vehicle that 
put America's first astronaut, Alan B. Shepard, into sub-orbital space 
in 1961. Building upon this firm foundation, Marshall and its partners 
boldly responded to President Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the 
Moon by pioneering the development of the colossal Saturn V rocket. The 
Marshall Center also designed and developed the Lunar Roving Vehicle, 
used to carry our Apollo astronauts on their journey around the then-
unknown surface of our Moon. These and other pioneering accomplishments 
make up a strong heritage that has made Marshall world-renowned for 
transportation to, from, and in space.
  At a time, Mr. Speaker, when the International Space Station is being 
constructed 250 miles overhead, it is proper to remember that the first 
American manned space station, Skylab, was managed at the Marshall 
Center. Lessons learned from Skylab about long-term human presence in 
space prove today to be invaluable as we enter an era of unprecedented 
discovery onboard the ISS. Continuing this tradition of excellence, 
Marshall and its industry partners have successfully designed, 
developed, assembled, integrated, tested, and delivered a number of 
critical U.S. pressurized ISS elements such as Unity, Destiny, and the 
Habitation and Node 2 modules.
  In 1972, following the announcement by President Nixon of plans to 
develop America's reusable space shuttle, Marshall again accepted its 
Nation's challenge by designing the shuttle's main engines, solid 
rocket boosters and external tank. Today, Marshall is responsible for 
the management of these critical shuttle systems, and is committed to 
continually improving their reliability, safety, and performance.
  Before becoming a reality, Marshall was visualized as ``the only 
self-contained organization in the nation, which was capable of 
conducting the development of a space vehicle from the conception of 
the idea, through production of hardware, testing and launching 
operations.'' They have exceeded these expectations by not only seeing 
vehicles through all stages of development, but also by broadening 
their activities through the scientific success of the Hubble Space 
Telescope, the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray 
Observatory three of NASA's great space observatories. The landmark 
discoveries made by their state-of-the-art scientific instruments have 
rewritten the science text-books that our children will use for years 
to come.
  In addition to the many world-class facilities at Marshall that 
contribute to its dynamic engineering test environment, the Marshall 
Space Flight Center has the distinction of hosting five National 
Historic Landmarks as designated by the U.S. Department of the 
Interior. These Historic Landmarks serve as monuments to our 
cornerstone role in America's space program, and include the Redstone 
Test Stand, the Propulsion and Structural Test Facility, the Saturn V 
Dynamic Test Stand, the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, and one of one 
three surviving Saturn V rockets.
  Mr. Speaker, while I stand here today to commemorate the legacy of 
Marshall's historic past, I also stand to celebrate the promise of its 
bright future. As NASA's Center of Excellence for Space Propulsion, 
Marshall serves as a national resource for research and development of 
advanced, revolutionary propulsion technologies. Marshall has been 
tasked to develop propulsion systems that will lower the costs of 
access to space, opening the doors of space to our entire Nation. The 
Marshall Center's future vision includes propulsion technologies that 
will lead to rapid travel throughout and even beyond our solar system. 
And as NASA's lead center for the development of our nation's future 
space transportation systems, Marshall will vigorously pursue the 
research, technological innovations, design and integration of 
tomorrow's space transportation systems necessary to maintain the 
United States as a space, military, and economic superpower for 
generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize the source of Marshall's 
success. It is the talented and highly motivated Marshall workforce, 
and its industry and academic partners spread across this nation, who 
have taken us down this path of exceptional achievement. And I believe 
that our nation's space program will enjoy many more successful 
missions of discovery while guided by the dedication, creativity, and 
professionalism of the Marshall's employees and partners.
  So today, with enormous pride, I extend my sincerest congratulations 
to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, its employees, and its 
partners on an exceptional 40-year legacy that occupies a unique 
position in the history of our space program--a program that has 
profoundly positioned America first among nations as we begin this 21st 
century, and promises to enhance the quality of life for ourselves and 
those who follow us.

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