[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 8 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S749-S750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. HUTCHISON (for herself and Mr. Cornyn):
  S. 242. A bill to establish 4 memorials to the Space Shuttle Columbia 
in the State of Texas; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, today in honor of the memory and 
sacrifice of seven astronauts whose lives were tragically cut short two 
years ago in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia, I bring to 
the floor a bill to authorize the construction of several memorials in 
communities along the Space Shuttle Columbia Recovery Corridor; 
specifically, Lufkin, Hemphill, Nacogdoches, and San Augustine, TX.
  Each of these communities will memorialize the disaster and the 
indomitable spirit of adventure and courage, the spirit that defies 
complacency and accepts challenge, the spirit that each of these 
astronauts and each of these communities showed.
  This search for adventure turned space travel from dreams to a 
reality. It is this spirit of challenge which fueled the courage and 
ambition of seven men and women into the sky on January 6, 2003. It is 
also this same spirit that drives these communities to permanently 
commemorate the high price we sometimes pay for reaching new horizons.
  Hemphill, TX, where the nose cone of the Shuttle was found, is also 
where the remains of the crew were recovered. The VFW post in Hemphill 
fed thousands of volunteers for weeks without so much as a complaint or 
a dime. The men and women of Hemphill did not take their task lightly, 
but rather with a solemn grace and dignity.
  The greatest amount of debris came down in the populated areas of 
Nacogdoches, TX. Backyards and streets were littered with debris, 
permanently altering the community. The citizens of Nacogdoches pulled 
together and focused on the recovery, working day and night with NASA 
until the job was complete. A spirit of courage filled the community of 
Nacogdoches and their efforts should never be forgotten.
  The population of Lufkin, TX doubled overnight as the retrieval 
effort

[[Page S750]]

started. The community's residents welcomed thousands with hospitality 
and made their civic center NASA's Columbia retrieval command center. 
From combing the streets and fields for debris to making home cooked 
meals for the recovery workers, the people of Lufkin mustered around 
the Columbia tragedy.
  The citizens of San Augustine, TX were a driving force behind the 
recovery effort. Local elected officials and countless volunteers 
opened their hearts and their homes to strangers also affected by the 
tragedy. Searching the piney woods of deep east Texas on horseback and 
walking the streets in search of shuttle fragments, the spirit of San 
Augustine could not be crushed.
  In recent years, America has experienced grief with the loss of many 
heroes. But our collective loss with the Columbia tragedy still sears 
our souls and the pain is never easy to bear. Today, two years after 
they vanished into the deep blue skies of Texas, we pause to remember 
and honor Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Ilan Roman, 
William McCool, David Brown, and Michael Anderson.
  And though the families' losses cannot be diminished, their pain and 
grief is shared around the world and our prayers are with them. This 
bill will memorialize their sacrifice and will honor the courageous 
spirit of the communities affected. Their sacrifices will never be 
forgotten.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 242

       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 ``Columbia Space Shuttle 
     Memorials Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Memorial.--The term ``memorial'' means each of the 
     memorials to the Space Shuttle Columbia established by 
     section 3(a).
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
     Park Service.

     SEC. 3. MEMORIALS TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.

       (a) Establishment.--There are established, as units of the 
     National Park System, 4 memorials to the Space Shuttle 
     Columbia to be located on the 4 parcels of land in the State 
     of Texas described in subsection (b) on which large debris 
     from the Space Shuttle Columbia was recovered.
       (b) Description of Land.--The parcels of land referred to 
     in subsection (a) are--
       (1) the parcel of land owned by the Fredonia Corporation, 
     located at the southeast corner of the intersection of East 
     Hospital Street and North Fredonia Street, Nacogdoches, 
     Texas;
       (2) the parcel of land owned by Temple Inland Inc., 10 
     acres of a 61-acre tract bounded by State Highway 83 and 
     Bayou Bend Road, Hemphill, Texas;
       (3) the parcel of land owned by the city of Lufkin, Texas, 
     located at City Hall Park, 301 Charlton Street, Lufkin, 
     Texas; and
       (4) the parcel of land owned by San Augustine County, 
     Texas, located at 1109 Oaklawn Street, San Augustine, Texas.
       (c) Administration.--The memorials shall be administered by 
     the Secretary.
       (d) Additional Sites.--The Secretary may recommend to 
     Congress additional sites in the State of Texas related to 
     the Space Shuttle Columbia for establishment as memorials to 
     the Space Shuttle Columbia.
                                 ______