[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 113 (Thursday, July 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 
                          SPACE ADMINISTRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of H. Res. 1315, a resolution that commemorates the 50th 
Anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA.
  NASA was established in 1958 and has become one of the premier 
research institutions in the United States. Through NASA, the United 
States has put humans on the moon, helped build the International Space 
Station, sent spacecraft to investigate Mars, and has built the Hubble 
Telescope to view more of the universe. NASA research has also been 
used to improve products that have changed our world--from airplanes to 
communications satellites.
  Research and innovation is crucial to the United States' global 
competitiveness. Since its beginning, NASA has inspired many children 
to study math, science, engineering and technology. My district is home 
to Farnsworth Aerospace Elementary Magnet School of St. Paul, 
Minnesota, which is a NASA Explorer School. This initiative 
incorporates NASA content and programs into science, technology and 
mathematics curriculum in the classroom. When I have met with the 
teachers and students at Farnsworth, I have witnessed the enthusiasm 
and inquiry that the NASA curriculum generates. Through the Explorer 
School program, NASA helps to produce the scientists, engineers, 
researchers, explorers, innovators, and astronauts of the future.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.