[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H571-H573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING THE SPACE SHUTTLE ``CHALLENGER'' DISASTER AND HONORING ITS
CREW MEMBERS
Mr. MELANCON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 943) remembering the space shuttle Challenger
disaster and honoring its crew members, who lost their lives on January
28, 1986.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 943
Whereas January 28, 2008, marks the 22-year anniversary of
the tragic accident of the space shuttle Challenger, Mission
51-L, and the loss of seven of America's bravest and most
dedicated citizens;
Whereas the space shuttle Challenger disaster occurred off
the coast of central Florida, at 11:39 a.m. on January 28,
1986;
Whereas the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73
seconds into its flight after an O-ring seal in its right
solid rocket booster failed at lift-off;
Whereas the seven-person crew on the shuttle included
Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission
Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist Ellison S.
Onizuka, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair, Payload
Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, and Payload Specialist Sharon
Christa McAuliffe;
Whereas Christa McAuliffe, a schoolteacher from Concord,
New Hampshire, was on board as the first member in the
Teacher in Space Project;
Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) selected Christa McAuliffe from a field of 11,000
applicants to be a part of the Challenger crew and teach
lessons to schoolchildren from space;
Whereas the Committee on Science and Technology of the
House of Representatives conducted oversight hearings on the
Challenger disaster and released a report on October 29,
1986, on the causes of the accident; and
Whereas the House of Representatives continues to support
NASA and its ongoing efforts to explore and educate the
American public about space: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the 22nd anniversary of the space shuttle
Challenger disaster;
(2) celebrates the courage and bravery of the crew of the
Challenger, and Christa McAuliffe and her passion for
encouraging America's children to pursue careers in science
and mathematics;
(3) commits itself and the Nation to using the lessons
learned in inquiries into the space shuttle Challenger
accident to ensure that the space agency always operates on a
strong and stable foundation; and
(4) recognizes the continued dedication of the United
States to the goal of space exploration for the benefit of
all mankind.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Melancon) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana.
General Leave
Mr. MELANCON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on House Resolution 943, the resolution now
under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. MELANCON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to support House Resolution 943, a
resolution honoring the astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger and
honoring its crew members, who lost their lives on January 28, 1986.
And I congratulate Mr. Hodes for preparing this resolution.
The tragic loss of the Challenger and her crew of seven serves as a
continuing reminder that space flight is anything but routine. As we
continue to explore outer space, we here on the ground must do our part
to ensure that we have learned the lessons of the Challenger accident
and work tirelessly to make space travel as safe as possible for future
generations of explorers.
In addition, I believe we can best honor the sacrifices of the crew
of the Challenger made by our commitment to renewing America's space
program, continuing the Nation's journey into space, a goal to which
they dedicated their lives.
Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we pause today to honor the
memory of the Challenger crew, and I urge all my colleagues to support
this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank my colleague Mr. Melancon for shepherding this
memorial to the floor today. With this resolution, the House of
Representatives joins with all Americans to solemnly remember the loss
of the space shuttle Challenger 22 years ago on January 28, 1986.
Many Americans remember where they were on that cold January morning
when the shuttle Challenger leapt from its launch pad. After receiving
the call ``Challenger go at throttle up,'' Challenger disintegrated in
clear blue skies just 73 seconds into its flight.
We were stunned. One moment Challenger was flawlessly flying on a
beautiful winter morning. Then, without warning, it was gone.
America turned to mourn its seven astronauts who gave the ultimate
sacrifice for the advancement of exploration and discovery: Michael
Smith; Dick Scobee; Judith Resnik; Ronald McNair; Ellison Onizuka;
Gregory Jarvis; and Christa McAuliffe, a schoolteacher from Concord,
New Hampshire, selected to be the first member of the teaching
profession in a space project.
That evening, President Reagan spoke from the Oval Office to comfort
a grieving Nation. Millions of children had watched the launch because
Christa McAuliffe was to later teach science lessons from space.
Instead, we were reminded of a deeper lesson. Reagan said:
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``I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were
watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard
to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all
part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of
taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong
to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was
pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.''
Reagan concluded his address by saying this:
``The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner
in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last
time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and
waved good-bye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to ``touch the face
of God.' ''
Twenty-two years have passed. America has kept its word. We haven't
forgotten the Challenger crew. Human space flight is mankind's most
difficult endeavor. America has achieved so many successes, space
flight seems routine; yet every generation unexpectedly bears witness
to space flight's inherent dangers.
Before the Challenger disaster, the Apollo I crew was lost on Pad 34
on January 27, 1967, in an accident known simply as ``The Fire.'' After
Challenger, we waited on February 1, 2003, at the Kennedy Space
Center's landing strip for the voyagers of Columbia who never returned
home. January and February are NASA's cruelest months.
On each occasion the people of NASA grieved terribly, but they
learned from adversity, and then they rededicated themselves to their
mission. America landed on the Moon after The Fire. After Challenger,
the shuttle flew again to pursue scientific discovery and begin
constructing the international space station. After Columbia, we
returned to flight, and we will complete and use the international
space station. Then we will turn our dreams to exploring beyond Earth's
orbit by establishing outposts on the Moon and then going further
beyond.
Exploration, journey, and bravery define the American people. Each of
us comes from a heritage where someone with great courage took a
passage to a new beginning, many times with disastrous endings. But the
living stubbornly persevered, pushed back vast frontiers, and built a
great and glorious Nation. Adversity, including the loss of the
Challenger crew, can never extinguish this American spirit.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this resolution honoring the brave
and dedicated crew of Challenger. I urge my colleagues to support House
Resolution 943.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MELANCON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes).
Mr. HODES. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 943.
January 28, 2008, marked the 22nd anniversary of the Challenger space
shuttle disaster. On January 28, 1986, at 11:38 eastern standard time,
the Challenger took off from the Kennedy Space Center and disintegrated
just 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven members of its brave
crew. The accident occurred on what would have been the Challenger's
10th trip into space.
I introduced House Resolution 943 to honor the courage and bravery of
all seven crew members who died as a result of this tragic accident.
The crew of the Challenger embodied the goals of the United States
space program and our highest ideals: a commitment to knowledge of our
universe and inspiring a new generation of scientific pioneers.
The tragic accident that day was especially poignant for those of us
in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a small State, and we pride
ourselves on our sense of community. And one of those crew members was
Christa McAuliffe of Concord, New Hampshire, my hometown. She was a
friend. She was someone who was woven deeply into the fabric of our
community. She touched the lives of countless students. She was a mom.
She was somebody who was loved and admired. And she was on board the
Challenger as the first participant of the Teacher in Space program,
the pride of New Hampshire and of Concord and of the Nation, for the
first teacher in space was enormous and seemed to magnify the tragedy
of the accident.
Christa dedicated her life to education. She taught at Rundlett
Junior High School, Bow Memorial Middle School, and Concord High School
between 1978 and 1985. On July 19, 1985, she was selected from a field
of roughly 11,000 applicants as the primary candidate for the Teacher
in Space Project. Her mission as a crew member was to teach
schoolchildren lessons from space and to encourage students to pursue
careers in science and mathematics.
Twenty-two years after the Challenger disaster, Christa McAuliffe's
goal of promoting scholarship in the sciences is more important than
ever as our Nation works to stay at the forefront of global innovation.
I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the anniversary of the
Challenger disaster and to support House Resolution 943.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of H. Res. 943, ``Remembering the space shuttle Challenger disaster and
honoring its crew members, who lost their lives on January 28, 1986,''
introduced by my distinguished colleague from New Hampshire,
Representative Paul W. Hodes. This important legislation will honor the
lives, the work, and the memory of the seven men and women who lost
their lives on the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger mission. I would like
to thank Representative Hodes for introducing this bill, of which I am
proud to be an original cosponsor, as well as Chairman Gordon for his
leadership in bringing this important and timely bill to the floor
today.
On January 28, 1986, Ellison S. Onizuka, Sharon Christa McAuliffe,
Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ron McNair
commenced on a risky journey, which only a select few have had the
opportunity to travel. Twenty-two years ago, these extraordinary men
and women embarked on what they knew would be a perilous flight, in
pursuit of knowledge and driven by the spirit of scientific discovery.
As we stand here today, on the floor of the House of Representatives,
and commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, I
believe we should take a moment to recall the purpose to which the crew
was dedicated. Astronauts Onizuka, McAuliffe, Jarvis, Resnik, Smith,
Scobee, and McNair represent the best in all of us, and it is in their
memory that we should devote ourselves to continuing what they began.
Mr. Speaker, as we mourn the tragic loss of these extraordinary men
and women, I would also like to praise those individuals who continue
to accept the challenges posed by the exploration of space and the
dedication of all connected with the manned space program. However,
while space exploration continues to be a part of our national destiny,
it is vital that safety is made our first priority, in order to protect
future astronauts and ensure the tragedy of 22 years ago never happens
again.
From the beginning, our Nation has recognized the importance of the
exploration of space and has always taken a leading role in its
development and exploration. The expansion of our horizons has been
essential for reasons beyond the technological advances it may provide.
Moreover, it represents mankind's capability to turn distant dreams
into a practical reality.
However, safety must remain our first priority. In June of last year,
we watched as the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space
Station both experienced serious safety scares. The shuttle's mission
had to be extended following the discovery of a rip in the shuttle's
thermal blanket. The space station experienced the failure of a
Russian-operated computer system controlling a crucial portion of the
station's navigational system. These recent incidents clearly indicate
the need for improved safety standards and oversight. Space exploration
must be coupled with satisfactory safety assurances.
Because of my ongoing commitment to the safe exploration of space, I
was proud to introduce an amendment to H.R. 3093, the Departments of
Commerce and Justice and Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations
for FY 2008, reaffirming our strong commitment to ensuring adequate
safety standards for the International Space Station. My amendment
emphasizes the importance of safety standards by ensuring that none of
the funds made available in this Act may be used to limit the safety
provisions enumerated in the recent NASA Authorization Act. If the
recently delivered recommendations of the congressionally mandated
International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force are to be
successful in identifying and mitigating future risks to the
International Space Station, Congress, together with the
administration, must firmly reaffirm its commitment to pursuing safety
as a
[[Page H573]]
top priority. My amendment was overwhelmingly approved, by a vote of
422 to 3, and accepted into the bill.
At a time where our televisions, newspapers, radios and other forms
of media are dominated with discussions of presidential nominations,
housing foreclosures, economic stimulus packages, Middle Eastern
conflicts and the war in Iraq, it would be all too easy to disregard
our commitment to the enterprise of space exploration and its value to
the United States and abroad. Let us look to the sky to honor the
memory of these fallen heroes who gave their lives for the cause of
pushing the limit of human exploration for the enrichment of all of
mankind.
Mr. Speaker, words cannot conveyor adequately repay the debt that is
owed. We cannot sufficiently articulate the feelings of sorrow that are
universally felt; however, we can pay those seven souls no greater
tribute than to carry on the work they believed in and paid the
ultimate sacrifice for. The contributions to space exploration and
service these great astronauts provided are priceless and will never go
unrecognized.
I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important
legislation, and in so doing, giving the men and women of our space
program the respect and recognition they deserve.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 943, a
resolution that remembers the space shuttle Challenger disaster and
honors its crew members on the 22nd anniversary of their tragic flight.
On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle disintegrated shortly after
takeoff, killing seven crew members. One of those astronauts, Ellison
Onizuka, was born and raised in my State of Hawaii and served as
Hawaii's first astronaut.
Mr. Onizuka was very enthusiastic about our space program and never
hesitated to share his knowledge and experience with the people of
Hawaii. He recognized the importance of education and encouraged
students to pursue an interest in space and science-related fields.
Four major space programs and centers in Hawaii carry on the legacy of
this inspiring explorer: the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center,
Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day, the Hawaii Space Grant
Consortium, and Challenger Center Hawaii.
I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 943, which honors Mr.
Onizuka's contributions and celebrates the courage and bravery of the
Challenger crew.
Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MELANCON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 943.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. MELANCON. 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.
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