[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 68 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2315-H2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SCIENCE IS WHAT SPACE EXPLORATION IS ALL ABOUT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted this afternoon, 
Mr. Speaker, to be able to join my colleagues to remind us of the 
important challenge that this Nation accepted some 40 years ago when, 
under the vision of President John F. Kennedy, we said to the world 
that we would not be the stepchild of the Soviet Union.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted that we were courageous enough to stand 
up and be counted, to value science, space exploration, to challenge 
the minds of Americans to begin to develop a great love and affection 
for the disciplines of engineering, math and science. Over the years we 
have created a new world, a world that has been filled with the 
excitement of space exploration and new heroes. We can tell by the 
lines that stood for the movies which captured the essence of what 
space was all about. We can tell by the stars in the eyes of young 
children who are delighted after they have visited the various space 
centers, and I might say particularly the Johnson Space Center in 
Houston, Texas.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) and the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Weldon) and myself, and many others, have the privilege of serving 
on the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics; but the greatest 
privilege I have is going back to my district and going to elementary 
schools and telling a child, ``Yes, you can.'' That is, you can be an 
astronaut, an engineer. You can emphasize the skills that come about 
through studying science, and you can be someone.
  Mr. Speaker, there are choices that we have to make in this Congress. 
When I came to Congress from an inner city district, people were 
watching and wondering: Would she choose housing over space; would she 
choose education over space? She has to do that.
  I was able to turn around the concept of what space exploration and 
science is all about. It is about all of America. It is about all of 
our investment. It is about saying to each and every one that there is 
a return on the investment in science and exploration. There is a 
return on the investment of knowing how to do the sciences in space, to 
determine whether we can save lives of those afflicted with diabetes 
and HIV/AIDS and heart disease and cancer. Out of that came a sense of 
appreciation.
  Mr. Speaker, having the privilege of learning myself and being able 
to bring to the Space Center people from around the world, I remember 
hosting the European Union because it was an asset in our community, 
and being part of the EU and the parliamentarian exchange. I insisted 
that they visit the Space Center, and that was the one of the very 
special parts of their trip. We took about 40 members of the European 
Union to Johnson Space Center. How privileged they thought they were. I 
went with President Rollins of Ghana, who is a pilot. He flew in the 
simulated spaceship, and began to think about what kind of space 
exploration could occur in Africa, on the continent of Africa.

[[Page H2316]]

  I have a more personal note. First of all, I am delighted to be able 
to salute those constituents that have stayed steady on the forefront, 
insisting that space exploration and human space shuttle is for 
everyone. But let me pay tribute to a neighbor and friend, Ron McNair, 
and I guess it was that time when that tragedy occurred that we began 
to understand that you do not take space exploration for granted, and 
that is why I am such a strong advocate for safety and for the dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to joining my colleagues and insisting on 
an added amount of dollars to ensure that we can do science in space; 
that the module gets completed, even though we are looking to the 
Italians; that seven people can be in space; and that, God forbid, we 
do not even think about an unsafe journey for the men and women who 
have offered themselves on behalf of this Nation.
  This is a tribute to the many men and women and all those who have 
gone before us, and I am proud to stand here as a member of the 
Committee on Science and join the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) to 
pay this tribute, but also to say to America, we have choices to make. 
We are fighting about education dollars, health dollars, but I believe 
we can invest in America's future by continuing our space exploration 
and making sure that the dollars are well spent. Less for tax cut, and 
more for investment. If we do that, we will get the kind of return that 
we need to have.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with Senate in getting more 
dollars to ensure that we have the kind of human space flight program, 
the unmanned program, the science program, the Earth program, and we 
begin to develop successful stories and successful ventures for this 
country and this world.

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