[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                STS-112 ORBITER ATLANTIS SHUTTLE LAUNCH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the men and 
women currently in space aboard the STS-112 Orbiter Atlantis, 
especially, my constituent Dr. Sandra Magnus. Sandy was born and raised 
in Belleville, Illinois where she attended Central Junior High School 
and Belleville West High School. She developed an interest in the space 
program and in becoming an astronaut while attending Central Junior 
High School. At the urging of one of her teachers, Mr. Corky Helms, 
Sandy was encouraged to study the space program--and her dream became a 
reality.
  Dr. Magnus was selected by NASA for the astronaut program in April 
1996 and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. After 
intensive training and evaluation, she is qualified for flight 
assignment as a mission specialist.
  I had the distinct privilege of accompanying the Administrator of 
NASA, Mr. Sean O'Keefe, to the Kennedy Space Center for Sandy's first 
launch on October 7, 2002. While at the Kennedy Space Center, I had the 
pleasure of visiting with Sandy's parents, Dick and Rose Hall, Corky 
and Vicki Helms, Bob and Joyce Dintelman, and many of Sandy's friends 
and family, to watch this memorable day.
  Sandy and five fellow shuttle crew members are currently at the 
International Space Station (ISS). She serves as the flight engineer 
and has the challenging Job of operating the robotic arm that is 
employed for the installation of a 15-ton truss that is part of the 
payload and the transportation of the spacewalkers as they conduct 
their connections of power, data cables and other external hardware to 
the truss itself. This truss is the second of 11 such truss structures 
that will ultimately expand the ISS to the length of a football field 
and increase the power through the addition of new photovoltaic modules 
and solar arrays. This mission is extremely important to further our 
understanding of space and brings us closer to achieving our goal of 
completing the ISS.
  Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to have qualified people, like Sandy, 
in the space program. The crew's impressive level of achievement and 
accomplishment is a milestone for the space program and serves as proof 
to young people that dreams really do come true. I ask my colleagues to 
join me in recognition of all the men and women involved in the success 
of the mission of STS-112, especially Dr. Sandra Magnus and the crew.

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