[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 67 (Monday, May 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5048-S5049]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I wish to shift gears from that 
sad note to a celebratory note because

[[Page S5049]]

we are approaching the 40th anniversary of the first landing on another 
celestial body by human beings. A number of our colleagues have joined 
me to honor two major firsts from the early days of America's space 
program.
  One of those firsts is the lunar landing. We have introduced 
legislation to bestow the distinguished Congressional Gold Medal, the 
highest civilian award given by Congress, on the crew of Apollo 11. 
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first and second humans to set 
a footprint on the Moon, while command module pilot Mike Collins 
orbited above.
  In this legislation, which we have termed the ``New Frontier 
Congressional Gold Medal,'' we also honor the first American who 
orbited the Earth, Senator John Glenn.
  Today at 87 years old, John Glenn is retired from the Senate. He 
lives in his home State of Ohio. He retains his home in the Washington, 
DC, area. We get a chance to see John from time to time as he comes 
back and joins his colleagues on the floor of the Senate.
  These are pioneers. They are firsts--Glenn first to orbit the Earth 
as an American. Remember, we got surprised by the Soviets. They 
launched Yuri Gagarin for one orbit, and we did not even have a rocket 
with strong enough thrust to get into orbit.
  Shortly after Gagarin, we put Alan Shepard up only into suborbit, 
followed by another suborbital mission with Gus Grissom. Ten months 
after Gagarin--and by this time the Soviets had flown a second 
cosmonaut, Titof, and he had orbited several times--10 months after 
that fateful first human flight, we took a chance. We took that Mercury 
capsule that John Glenn climbed into--indeed, he had to shoehorn in to 
get into it, it was so small--put it on top of an Atlas rocket that we 
knew had a 20-percent chance of failure, and the rest is history.
  Of course, we remember that story. There was an indication that 
John's heat shield was loose which, had it been, he would have burned 
up on reentry. The last radio communication we had as he entered that 
blackout period coming through heat 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit at reentry 
that creates a blackout situation for radio frequency, the last thing 
we heard from John Glenn before he went into that blackout period was 
he was humming the ``Battle Hymn of the Republic.'' Oh, what words 
those were when suddenly we heard: ``Houston, this is Friendship 7.'' 
We knew he was alive.
  He paved the way for that extraordinary message back to Earth from 
Neil Armstrong in which he said:

       This is one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for 
     mankind.

  This past weekend, I had the occasion to join with a number of our 
American astronauts on the induction of three more space explorers into 
the Astronaut Hall of Fame. The inductees were space shuttle veterans--
Pinky Nelson, Bill Shepherd, and Jim Wetherbee. They joined the elite 
ranks of 70 other legendary astronauts, who already include John Glenn, 
Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins.
  I went to this particular ceremony because I had the privilege of 
being a crew mate of Pinky's, and Bill Shepherd, otherwise shown as 
``Shep,'' was the rookie astronaut who actually strapped us in before 
launch.
  While I was there meeting with and seeing these three new astronauts 
honored by induction into the Hall of Fame, I thought about the amazing 
achievements we have made, how strong leadership and bold vision has 
changed not the space program but all our lives. I think about the true 
American character of exploration, whether it is the space program or 
exploration into the inner workings of the mind, the functions of the 
body, exploration into the climate of this planet, exploration of how 
we cope each day with all the problems we are facing, our space program 
being one part of our exploration which did not start just recently. We 
are a nation of explorers.
  We did not just start with exploration. This started way back in our 
history. We had a frontier then. It was westward. Now that frontier is 
in so many other areas, including space.
  The space program has given us much to improve life on Earth, from 
fire-resistant material to weather forecasting equipment, to scratch-
resistant lenses, to new kinds of laser surgery. It has also given us 
selfless heroes who put their lives on the line for the benefit of all 
the rest of us and for the generations to come.
  It was Armstrong who made that first step out onto the lunar dust. It 
was Glenn who paved the way for the rest of Mercury and Gemini and 
Apollo. It is hard to believe that all these things happened after 
President Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of 
the Congress in which he said: We are going to send a man to the Moon 
and return him safely to Earth by the end of the decade, and that was 
within a span of only 9 years.
  The space program became the focal point of the Nation coming 
together. It inspired a generation of kids to get excited about 
science, math, technology, and engineering. We have seen that 
generation fulfill President Kennedy's promise, which was science and 
education have greatly enriched a new knowledge of ourselves, of our 
universe, and our environment. Life on Earth has improved by leaps and 
bounds from all the spinoffs from the space program.
  Simply put: We all reap the harvest of gains because of exploration 
and the pioneering endeavors of brave Americans, such as these whom we 
honor with this gold medal, the highest congressional honor. They 
deserve this honor because of their significant contributions to planet 
Earth.
  I ask our colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. There 
will be ample opportunity for cosponsorships, in addition to those of 
us who have submitted the resolution.
  I yield the floor. I do not have to suggest the absence of a quorum 
because the great Senator from the State of Delaware is here, and I 
want him to know what a delight and pleasure he is to serve with.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I wish to say it is an honor serving with 
Senator Nelson. I also commend him for his tribute to Senator Glenn and 
the astronauts. As usual, he is right on point. I suggest the absence 
of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business for 25 minutes.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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