[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S727]]
                     50 YEARS OF SPACE EXPLORATION

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing and honoring the California Institute of Technology's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, in Pasadena, CA, for 50 years of space 
exploration. Since the launch of Explorer I, America's first 
spacecraft, on January 31, 1958, JPL has made momentous and historic 
contributions to our scientific understanding of our vast universe.
  For the past five decades, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been a 
respected leader in furthering scientific knowledge around the world. 
Explorer 1 was built in less than 3 months, and was the first 
spacecraft ever launched into space that actually revolved around Earth 
and provided scientific findings from space. The immense success of 
Explorer I led to the passage of the Space Act in 1958, which 
established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
  Since the inception of NASA, JPL has been on the forefront of science 
and technology through its research and exploration of every known 
planet in our solar system. Subsequent to the success of Explorer I, 
JPL has continued to have a central role in accomplished space 
missions, such as exploring our vast solar system with Voyager 1 and 2 
and the Mars Exploration Rovers. JPL has also been instrumental in 
understanding our planet.
  I congratulate the California Institute of Technology's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory on 50 years of successful and insightful space 
exploration, and thank the original members of the Explorer I team for 
their contribution to American history.

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