[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 116 (Tuesday, September 26, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8075-H8078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  APOLLO EXPLORATION AWARD ACT OF 1999

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 2572) to direct the Administrator of NASA to design and 
present an award to the Apollo astronauts.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2572

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Apollo Exploration Award Act 
     of 1999''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) On July 20, 1969, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. 
     ``Buzz'' Aldrin Jr., became the first humans to set foot on 
     another celestial body, during the Apollo 11 mission, 
     accompanied in lunar orbit by Michael Collins.
       (2) Between 1969 and 1972, ten other Americans courageously 
     completed the first human exploration of the lunar surface, 
     accompanied by five command module pilots:
       (A) Apollo 12--Charles J. ``Pete'' Conrad Jr., Alan L. 
     Bean, and Richard F. Gordon Jr.
       (B) Apollo 14--Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, and 
     Stuart A. Roosa.
       (C) Apollo 15--David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, and Alfred 
     M. Worden.
       (D) Apollo 16--John W. Young, Charles M. Duke Jr., and 
     Thomas K. Mattingly II.
       (E) Apollo 17--Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and 
     Harrison H. Schmitt.
       (3) In April 1970, James A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swigert 
     Jr., and Fred W. Haise Jr., valiantly made a safe return from 
     the Moon on the Apollo 13 mission, after their command module 
     was disabled by an explosion.
       (4) The enormous successes of the Apollo lunar landing 
     missions were only possible due to the pioneering work of the 
     previous Apollo missions, which performed critical testing of 
     the spacecraft and methods, and conducted the first human 
     travel to the Moon:
       (A) Apollo 7--Walter M. Schirra Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and R. 
     Walter Cunningham.
       (B) Apollo 8--Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and 
     William A. Anders.
       (C) Apollo 9--James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and 
     Russell L. Schweickart.
       (D) Apollo 10--Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and 
     Eugene A. Cernan.

[[Page H8076]]

       (5) In January 1967, astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward 
     H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee lost their lives in a tragic 
     fire in the command module while testing the spacecraft which 
     would have carried them on the first manned Apollo mission.
       (6) Since the time of the Apollo program, the program's 
     astronauts have promoted space exploration and human endeavor 
     by sharing their experiences with the American people and the 
     world, stimulating the imagination and the belief that any 
     goal can be achieved.
       (7) Sadly, astronauts John L. Swigert Jr., Donn F. Eisele, 
     Ronald E. Evans, James B. Irwin, Stuart A. Roosa, Alan B. 
     Shepard Jr., and Charles J. ``Pete'' Conrad Jr., have died 
     since completing their missions.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the American people should 
     provide a fitting and tangible tribute to each of the 
     astronauts of the Apollo program, to recognize and 
     commemorate their bravery, substantial scientific and 
     technical accomplishments, and unique contributions to 
     American and world history.

     SEC. 4. APOLLO EXPLORATION AWARD.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration (hereinafter in this Act 
     referred to as the ``Administrator'') shall design and 
     present an appropriate award, to be named the ``Apollo 
     Exploration Award'', commemorating the accomplishments of the 
     astronauts who flew in the Apollo program.
       (b) Design.--The Administrator shall ensure that the Apollo 
     Exploration Award shall have the following characteristics:
       (1) A lunar rock sample shall be the central feature of the 
     award.
       (2) The design of the award shall permit free access to and 
     removal of the lunar sample by the award recipient.
       (c) Presentation.--The Administrator shall present one 
     award created under this Act to each of the following Apollo 
     astronauts, or if such person is deceased, to his closest 
     living family member or heir (as determined by the 
     Administrator):
       (1) Buzz Aldrin (formerly known as Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.) of 
     Apollo 11.
       (2) William A. Anders of Apollo 8.
       (3) Neil A. Armstrong of Apollo 11.
       (4) Alan L. Bean of Apollo 12.
       (5) Frank Borman of Apollo 8.
       (6) Eugene A. Cernan of Apollo 10 and Apollo 17.
       (7) Roger B. Chafee of Apollo 1.
       (8) Michael Collins of Apollo 11.
       (9) Charles J. ``Pete'' Conrad Jr. of Apollo 12.
       (10) R. Walter Cunningham of Apollo 7.
       (11) Charles M. Duke Jr. of Apollo 16.
       (12) Donn F. Eisele of Apollo 7.
       (13) Ronald E. Evans of Apollo 17.
       (14) Richard F. Gordon Jr. of Apollo 12.
       (15) Virgil I. Grissom of Apollo 1.
       (16) Fred W. Haise Jr. of Apollo 13.
       (17) James B. Irwin of Apollo 15.
       (18) James A. Lovell Jr. of Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
       (19) Thomas K. Mattingly II of Apollo 16.
       (20) James A. McDivitt of Apollo 9.
       (21) Edgar D. Mitchell of Apollo 14.
       (22) Stuart A. Roosa of Apollo 14.
       (23) Walter M. Schirra Jr. of Apollo 7.
       (24) Harrison H. Schmitt of Apollo 17.
       (25) Russell L. Schweickart of Apollo 9.
       (26) David R. Scott of Apollo 9 and Apollo 15.
       (27) Alan B. Shepard Jr. of Apollo 14.
       (28) Thomas P. Stafford of Apollo 10.
       (29) John L. Swigert Jr. of Apollo 13.
       (30) Edward H. White of Apollo 1.
       (31) Alfred M. Worden of Apollo 15.
       (32) John W. Young of Apollo 10 and Apollo 16.

     SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON PROFIT.

       No person may use an award presented under this Act for 
     monetary gain or profit.

     SEC. 6. TRANSFER OF AWARD.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, ownership interest in an award presented under this Act 
     may not be--
       (1) sold, traded, bartered, or exchanged for anything of 
     value; or
       (2) otherwise transferred, other than to a family member of 
     the original recipient of the award or by inheritance.
       (b) Exception for Public Display.--The prohibition in 
     subsection (a) does not apply to a transfer to a museum or 
     nonprofit organization for the purpose of public display.
       (c) Reversion.--Ownership of an award presented under this 
     Act reverts to the Administrator if--
       (1) no person inherits the award after the death of its 
     owner; or
       (2) the award is not being displayed publicly under 
     subsection (b).

     SEC. 7. RECALL OF LUNAR MATERIAL.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator may recall a lunar 
     sample contained in an award presented under this Act if the 
     Administrator determines that the particular lunar sample is 
     required for scientific purposes.
       (b) Prompt Return.--The Administrator shall promptly return 
     a lunar sample recalled under subsection (a) to its owner 
     when such sample is no longer required for scientific 
     purposes.
       (c) Replacement.--The Administrator may replace a lunar 
     sample recalled under subsection (a) with a substantially 
     equivalent lunar sample if the Administrator determines that 
     such recalled lunar sample will not be promptly returned in 
     its entirety and without substantial degradation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 2572.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. SENSENBRENNER asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) for sponsoring this bill, which 
he introduced on the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the 
moon last year.
  The enormous success of the Apollo program clearly stands as a 
watershed event in American history and one of man's greatest 
scientific achievements. The Apollo Exploration Award Act provides a 
fitting and tangible tribute to each of the astronauts who dedicated 
themselves and risked their lives for the Apollo program.

                              {time}  1130

  It recognizes and commemorates their bravery, substantial scientific 
and technical achievements, and unique contributions to American and 
world history.
  I would like to note that these tremendous accomplishments were only 
possible due to the ingenuity, diligence, and determination of the men 
and women of NASA and the aerospace community who made the Apollo 
program a success. I only wish it were possible to recognize each and 
every one of these men and women for their contributions to the program 
as well.
  Since the time of the Apollo program, the astronauts have promoted 
space exploration and scientific excellence by sharing their 
experiences with the American people and the world, stimulating the 
imagination and the belief that any goal can be achieved. I believe 
these contributions need to be recognized.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. HALL of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak in support of H.R. 
2572, the Apollo Exploration Award Act. I think the chairman has done a 
very good job of ushering this bill to this stage and of explaining the 
bill here, so I will be rather brief.
  I think the bill recognizes a very important chapter in our Nation's 
space program, the Apollo Moon landing project that we were all so very 
proud of. And it honors the contributions of those very brave space 
explorers, the Apollo astronauts, who helped humanity to achieve the 
dream of finally setting foot on the Moon.
  It is hard to believe that more than 3 decades have passed since Neil 
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped out onto the lunar surface 
while Mike Collins orbited overhead.
  Their accomplishments and those of the Apollo astronauts who followed 
them made all of us proud to be Americans. And so it is fitting that we 
honor them with this award.
  It is also fitting that we honor the brave astronauts who preceded 
them in the missions that helped prepare for that first Moon landing. 
In that process we especially need to remember the three heroes, Virgil 
``Gus'' Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee, who lost their lives 
in the tragic Apollo 1 fire back in 1967. They made the ultimate 
sacrifice to help push back the frontier, and I am glad that this bill 
recognizes their contributions.
  Mr. Speaker, some day in the not-too-distant future I expect that we 
will go back to the Moon; and I believe we will ultimately go further, 
to Mars and beyond. When we do, we will be building on the 
accomplishments of not only

[[Page H8077]]

the brave astronauts that we honor in this piece of legislation but 
also on the efforts of all of the thousands and thousands of men and 
women who worked on the Apollo project. Their contributions, large and 
small, all helped make Apollo a success.
  While we cannot honor each of them by name, I hope that they take 
pride in what they accomplished and know that we salute them.
  Mr. Speaker, back several Congresses ago, as a matter of fact in the 
103rd Congress, I introduced and passed through the House a concurrent 
resolution, H. Con. Res. 261. It was a resolution to honor the lunar 
astronauts and to increase their military rank, not to increase their 
pay nor their retirement but simply to increase their rank. We sent it 
over to the Senate and the Senate reduced it to saying they would be 
called Honorable from here on and did nothing for them along the line 
of their rank. I think we missed a chance to show them greater courtesy 
and greater honor, and many of them talked to me, that many of them 
really and truly wanted. H.R. 2572 is a way also for us to say thank 
you to these astronauts who helped lead us to the Moon.
  I urge my colleagues to vote to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2572.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Souder), who is the author of this bill.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Rohrabacher), the subcommittee chairman, for bringing this bill to 
the floor and also Speaker Hastert, who, when he chaired the 
subcommittee on oversight, held a number of hearings to try to promote 
an increasing awareness of our space program and try to rekindle the 
national interest; and also the cosponsors of this bill, particularly 
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon), the principal cosponsor, and 
the 33 other cosponsors, including many Democrats, all of whom join 
with me today to provide a historic recognition of the accomplishments 
of the Apollo program on its 30th anniversary. In doing so we hope to 
recapture some of the vision and excitement of the space program for 
Americans as we enter the 21st century.
  We are currently in the midst of observing the 30th anniversary. I 
introduced this bill on July 20, 1999, on the anniversary of the first 
lunar landing. It is by no means an exaggeration to say that the 
landing was one of the most significant events in human history. The 
Apollo program not only was and still is one of the most significant 
technological accomplishments but also marked the first time that 
mankind left the planet Earth to explore another celestial body.
  The Apollo program demonstrated that it is possible for Americans to 
accomplish anything if they have a dream and a vision to work and to 
make it come true. As astronaut Walt Cunningham said, ``Today we fail 
not because of our inability to do something, we fail today because of 
our unwillingness to tackle it in the first place. We are unwilling to 
take a chance, stick our neck out and go and do some of these things.''
  The Apollo astronauts have continued to stand as living monuments to 
that drive and vision. Many of today's adults were not even born at the 
time of the Apollo landing, even though they and their children hold 
the potential to be the generation that first sets foot on Mars. The 
vision is still a living vision, however, because it is rekindled by 
the Apollo astronauts who continue to bear witness to the possibility 
of making even seemingly outlandish dreams into reality.
  We recently had sad reminders of just how precious these men are. 
Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad was laid to rest last year in Arlington 
National Cemetery. Four of the 12 men to have set foot on the Moon have 
now passed away. A total of seven of the Apollo astronauts are no 
longer with us. Just outside this Chamber stands one of the newest 
additions to Statuary Hall, a statue of Apollo 13 astronaut Jack 
Swigert of Colorado, who was elected to the House but never was able to 
serve.
  In my view, there would be no better recognition for these heroes nor 
better way to rekindle the accomplishments of Apollo in the public 
imagination than this award. The only fitting commemoration for those 
who have touched the Moon or made that great achievement possible could 
be a piece of the Moon itself. And such recognition is long overdue.
  In addition, this is a simple issue of fairness. On the same day I 
introduced this bill, the Apollo 11 astronauts visited the Oval Office 
and presented President Clinton with a Moon rock which he promptly put 
beside his desk in the Oval Office. NASA has already given out a number 
of lunar samples to foreign leaders with no restrictions at all. In 
fact, a sample that was dedicated to ``the People of Honduras'' 
recently was found in private hands. If Bill Clinton can have a Moon 
rock in his office and we can give them to foreign leaders, I think it 
is only fair and just that the men who risked their lives for science 
and for their country of all people should have the same honor.
  When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in 1969, Bill 
Clinton was home for the summer from Oxford, according to David 
Marannis, ``feverishly trying to find a way to avoid entering the Army 
as a drafted private.'' And it is dumbfounding to me that after the 
President received his Moon rock, his administration apparently 
yesterday decided to oppose this bill giving a Moon rock to the 
astronauts who performed the missions. Furthermore, it is not just that 
some 250 foreign leaders have been given pieces of the Moon rock but 
none to our astronauts.
  NASA has recovered more than 2,000 different samples of the Moon in 
six landings, so the rocks required for presentation would be a tiny 
portion of our total holdings. The bill also maintains careful control 
over the lunar rocks, preventing them from being sold or transferred to 
anyone besides the astronaut, his family, or a museum. And the lunar 
material could be recalled by NASA if needed for scientific research.
  Mr. Speaker, America was founded on the principle of exploration. We 
have it in our power to continue this great tradition as a spacefaring 
Nation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

             Apollo Exploration Act--Questions and Answers

                            Rep. Mark Souder

       H.R. 2572, The Apollo Exploration Award Act, would create 
     an award to be presented as a lasting commemoration for the 
     American astronauts who made the first voyages to the moon. 
     The award would contain an actual lunar sample (or ``moon 
     rock'') retrieved on the Apollo missions as a uniquely 
     fitting and appropriate presentation. This fact sheet answers 
     questions about the bill and responds to some issues which 
     have been raised by NASA.
       Q: Why bring up the bill now?
       A. The bill was introduced on the 30th anniversary of the 
     Apollo 11 lunar landing in July of 1999. Some of the former 
     Apollo astronauts have now died, and as time passes others 
     will become less able to participate in public events and 
     commemorations. Because we are still fortunate to have most 
     of the former astronauts engaged in public life, this is a 
     fitting time to provide an appropriate recognition of the 
     extraordinary significance of their deeds with the benefit of 
     historical hindsight. In doing so, the bill is also intended 
     to remind the American public of their accomplishments and 
     rekindle the vision of a great American space program.
       The bill has significant bipartisan support, particularly 
     from members who represent NASA facilities. Of the 34 
     cosponsors, 14 are Democrats. NASA was contacted and provided 
     with a copy of the bill at the time of its introduction.
       Q: Our ``Moon Rocks'' are a national asset--would this harm 
     their preservation and scientific research?
       A: The Apollo missions collected 2,196 lunar samples 
     weighing 843 pounds. The bill provides for just 32 awards to 
     be issued to the Apollo Astronauts--a minuscule portion (1.5 
     percent) of our holdings. In addition, the bill explicitly 
     provides that NASA may recall any of the lunar samples used 
     for the award should they be needed for scientific research.
       Q: Would this bill set a bad precedent by transferring moon 
     rocks for commemorative purposes?
       A: The fact of the matter is that NASA has already 
     transferred moon rocks for commemorative purposes, with far 
     fewer restrictions than are contained in this bill. A number 
     of the Apollo crews made ``goodwill tours'' of foreign 
     nations, during which lunar samples were presented to heads 
     of state by the astronauts as a commemoration. Although these 
     were ostensibly presented as gifts to each country rather 
     than to the individuals, we are not aware of any restrictions 
     placed on these rocks. In fact, at least one of these 
     samples, presented to the ``People of

[[Page H8078]]

     Honduras,'' found its way into private hands. We are unable 
     to find ``any'' accounting for the whereabouts of the samples 
     that were presented to foreign countries. NASA officials at 
     the time of the missions said they could make available 150 
     to 200 presentation samples--a number which makes the 32 
     samples here look very modest indeed.
       In addition, the Apollo 11 crew recently presented a rock 
     to President Clinton for commemorative purposes. Although 
     NASA goes to great lengths to specify that that rock is ``on 
     loan,'' White House Spokesman Barry Toiv said ``I have a 
     feeling it will be here awhile.'' President Clinton put the 
     rock by his desk in the Oval Office.
       The samples in question are not being presented to 
     strangers to NASA or to the public at large--they would go to 
     the astronauts who went to get them. This is only fitting, 
     just and appropriate.
       Q: What controls are put on the samples? Could the 
     astronauts sell them?
       A: The bill puts very tight controls on the samples. 
     Astronauts could not sell or transfer their award or receive 
     any monetary gain from its use. They could only keep it, give 
     or leave it as an inheritance to members of their family 
     under the same conditions, or loan it to a museum. If these 
     conditions are not met, the award and lunar sample return to 
     the possession of NASA.
       Q: Wouldn't that require NASA to keep track of the awards?
       A: Technically, the bill does not require NASA to keep 
     track of the awards--it gives them a right of recall if the 
     lunar samples are needed for scientific purposes. Moreover, 
     even if NASA chose to track the awards, it is difficult to 
     imagine that keeping track of 32 of them would be an undue 
     burden on the Agency. In fact, NASA already lends (and 
     successfully tracks) up to 10 lunar samples a week to schools 
     across the country.
                                  ____


              [From the Indianapolis Star, July 18, 1999]

                   Purdue Enjoys Historic Lunar Links

                            (By Scott Thien)

       When it comes to moon missions, Purdue rules one of 
     America's greatest achievements.
       That's because Boilermakers Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 and 
     Eugene Cernan of Apollo 17 were the first and last men to 
     walk on the moon.
       In fact, 21 current and former astronauts attended the 
     university, most in the School of Aeronautics and 
     Astronautics. And roughly 10 percent--24 out of 268--of all 
     U.S. astronauts have links to Indiana, either by birth or 
     education.
       Famous ties, to be sure, but the state has little other 
     tangible evidence of America's six lunar landings.
       Currently, Indiana has no permanent public display of moon 
     rocks, lunar dust or any of the core samples from the 842 
     pounds gathered during the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. 
     Twenty-one states and 12 foreign countries have such 
     displays, which are administered by the Johnson Space Center 
     in Houston. And, officials of the National Aeronautics and 
     Space Administration say, none of the material is privately 
     owned--not even by the 12 moonwalkers.
       That's not to say NASA is stingy. At the end of the Apollo 
     program, every U.S. state and nearly every country in the 
     world received a commemorative plaque with a mounted sliver 
     of moon material. Indiana's sample, which came from the 
     historic Apollo 11 mission, eventually found its way into the 
     bowels of the Indiana State Museum. The sample--several 
     plastic-encased, porous-looking black pebbles about one-
     sixteenth of an inch each--occasionally is displayed, museum 
     officials say.
       Both Indiana and Purdue universities have moon material for 
     research, but none is publicly displayed.
       So, is Indianapolis out of luck for a lunar look on 
     Tuesday's 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing? Check 
     out The Children's Museum.
       Through Aug. 31, a 5.5-ounce dark chunk of the moon will be 
     displayed outside the SpaceQuest Planetarium, along with 
     period articles, photos and models of Apollo spacecraft. The 
     4- to 6-inch-long rock, on loan from the John Glenn Space 
     Center in Cleveland, was gathered from the moon's Base North 
     Massif Mountain in the Valley of Taurus-Littrow during the 
     1971 Apollo 15 mission. For hours and admission, call the 
     museum at (317) 334-3322.


                               Fast Facts

       What became of the moon rocks? Here's a quick look:
       In NASA, military vaults: 711 pounds
       Studied, returned to NASA: 60 pounds
       Sent out for study: 15 pounds
       Loaned to museums or schools: 24 pounds
       Destroyed in experiments: 22 pounds
       Gifts to foreign heads of state: 0.6 pounds
       Used but not destroyed in experiments: 7 pounds
       Lost: 0.078 pounds.

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Weldon).
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time, and I rise to speak in support of this very, 
very important legislation.
  As many people know, the Apollo missions departed from Cape Canaveral 
Kennedy Space Center, which is in my Congressional district. Indeed, 
for most of the people in my congressional district, they refer to the 
area they live in as the Space Coast. Space has been the heart of the 
area, the community, now going on for 4 decades; and, indeed, the area 
has been home on and off for the Apollo astronauts for years.
  I wholeheartedly support this piece of legislation and I think it is 
extremely fair and appropriate to do this. The Apollo astronauts put 
their lives on the line. Indeed, the gentleman who was running the 
Apollo program at the time, his name was George Mueller, felt that 
there was only about a 10 percent chance when the first Moon mission 
took off that the crew would return safely. And, of course, not only 
did they, we were able to go back several more times after Apollo 11 
and successfully bring safely the crew back to Earth.
  But this mission was not without its risk and its price. According to 
my conversations with the astronauts involved, the hours were 
excruciatingly long, separation from family was huge, there was an 
incredible amount of stress after the initial Apollo 1 fire taking the 
lives of three crew members, and after all of these years to have these 
Moon rocks essentially sitting in a vault collecting dust and to have a 
scenario where we are giving specimens out to politicians, of all 
people. But to not give a specimen to the heroes who actually put their 
lives on the line and actually went to the Moon I think is wrong and 
that it is very fitting and appropriate for us to now at this time 
honor those heroes who went to the Moon and extend to them a specimen.
  Now, the gentleman from Indiana has inserted a whole host of 
safeguards in this legislation. They cannot sell it for money. NASA can 
retrieve the specimens if there is some tremendous scientific need for 
them. Actually, the scientists have analyzed these things over and over 
again and they are just rocks. There is no great need, and it is 
extremely unlikely that they would ever have to be reclaimed.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the legislation. I applaud 
the gentleman for coming up with this idea. He should be commended. I 
would encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote 
in support of this bill.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hansen). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2572.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________