[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1927-S1928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING THE ``COLUMBIA'' ASTRONAUTS--Continued

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are now 5 minutes evenly divided.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to Senator Bennett from Utah.
  Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, all that needs to be said has been said 
by the President and others about the shuttle disaster. I simply note 
the people of Utah are particularly distressed, not only with the human 
tragedy that affects all Americans but because the space program is 
very close to the hearts of all Utahans.
  My predecessor in the Senate, Jake Garn, was an astronaut on the 
shuttle. The Jake Garn Space Center at Utah State University is named 
after the Senator. The schoolchildren of Utah assembled project ``Star 
Shine,'' which was a school science project that was carried into space 
by the shuttle. So all Utahans join in expressing our condolences to 
the families, and our determination that space exploration by this 
country will nonetheless still go forward.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, Senator Nelson and I attended, along 
with many other Senators, the beautiful service yesterday honoring 
these brave astronauts that we now know so much more about. Today the 
Senate is commemorating these Columbia astronauts and reconfirming the 
importance to our country that space research has been and will 
continue to be.
  In the resolution we talk about U.S. Air Force COL Rick Husband, the 
mission commander, who was from Texas; U.S. Navy commander, William 
Willie McCool, the pilot; U.S. Air Force LTC Michael Anderson, payload 
commander, mission specialist; U.S. Navy CAPT David Brown, mission 
specialist; U.S. Navy commander Laurel Blair Salton Clark, mission 
specialist; Dr. Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and Israeli Air 
Force COL Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. They were killed in the line 
of duty. The Senate is honoring them today.
  Debris has been recovered in 38 counties of my State, spreading over 
a surface area of 28,000 square miles, an area the size of West 
Virginia. The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up 40 miles above the 
ground.
  It is my honor to cosponsor this resolution with Senator Nelson, the 
only Member of the Senate who has actually been on a manned space 
flight, and Senator Glenn, of course, before him. He has been a great 
resource on the committee.

  Before turning it over to Senator Nelson of Florida, I ask for the 
yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There is a 
sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, how much time remains in the 
debate?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam President, it is with sadness that I 
rise to join my colleague from Texas to support this resolution. So 
many of our colleagues have joined us. We thank you very much for 
joining us yesterday as we went to the space center in Houston.
  This is a resolution that not only talks about the past, and about 
bravery, but it talks about the future. It talks not only about 
honoring the legacy and the lives and the sacrifice of these brave 
souls but also about fulfilling America's destiny as a nation of 
explorers and adventurers.
  This resolution is about the vision that ignites the heart of almost 
every American, to think that we are pushing back the frontier. As we 
developed

[[Page S1928]]

this country, we used to push westward. That was our frontier. Now we 
push upward and explore the heavens.
  I urge our colleagues to join Senator Hutchison and me in supporting 
this resolution.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution. 
The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. I announce that the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell) 
is necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Florida (Mr. Graham), the 
Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. 
Lautenberg), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Miller) are necessarily 
absent.
  I further announce that if present and voting the Senator from 
Florida (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin), the Senator 
from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. 
Miller) would each vote Aye.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 30 Leg.]

                                YEAS--95

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     McCain
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Graham FL
     Harkin
     Lautenberg
     McConnell
     Miller
  The resolution (S. Res. 45) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

                          ____________________