[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 112 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 222--RECOGNIZING LIEUTENANT COMMANDER CHRIS CASSIDY, 
 SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION SPECIALIST OF THE STS-127 SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION 
AND THE EXPEDITION 19 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MISSION, FOR BECOMING 
                   THE 500TH PERSON TO FLY INTO SPACE

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 222

       Whereas Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy attended York 
     High School in York, Maine;
       Whereas, in 1993, Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy earned 
     a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the United States 
     Naval Academy;
       Whereas, in 2000, Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy earned 
     a master's degree in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts 
     Institute of Technology;
       Whereas Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy honorably served 
     as a Navy SEAL for 10 years;
       Whereas Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy graduated with 
     honors from Class 192 of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL 
     program;
       Whereas, in 2003 and 2004, Lieutenant Commander Chris 
     Cassidy was a Quest speaker at the United States Naval 
     Academy Combat Leadership Seminar;
       Whereas Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy was awarded a 
     Bronze Star with combat ``V'' and a Presidential Unit 
     Citation for leading a 9-day operation at the Zharwar Kili 
     cave complex on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan;
       Whereas, in 2004, Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy was 
     awarded a second Bronze Star for combat leadership in 
     Afghanistan;
       Whereas Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy volunteered for 
     and completed a week-long, 180-mile charity kayak trip from 
     Norfolk, Virginia, to Washington, District of Columbia, to 
     raise money and awareness for the Special Operations Warrior 
     Foundation;
       Whereas, in May 2004, Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy 
     was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration to become an astronaut;
       Whereas, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first 
     person to step on the moon;
       Whereas 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 
     mission;
       Whereas, on July 15, 2009, aboard space shuttle mission 
     STS-127, Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy became the 500th 
     person in history to fly into space;
       Whereas the primary goal of the STS-127 space shuttle 
     mission is to deliver the final components of the Kibo 
     laboratory of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to the 
     International Space Station; and
       Whereas the STS-127 mission is essential to the performance 
     of valuable science experiments in the vacuum of space: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy, space 
     shuttle mission specialist of the STS-127 space shuttle 
     mission and the Expedition 19 International Space Station 
     mission, for becoming the 500th person in history to fly into 
     space; and
       (2) commends Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy and the 
     STS-127 space shuttle mission crew for risking their lives to 
     advance science and human understanding.

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution 
recognizing Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy, space shuttle mission 
specialist of the STS-127 space shuttle mission and the Expedition 19 
International Space Station mission, for becoming the 500th person to 
fly into space.
  While Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy is a native of Salem, 
Massachusetts, he considers York, ME, his hometown, where he attended 
York High School. Chris has a very impressive academic background 
earning a bachelor of science in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval 
Academy, and a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  Even more impressive is his ongoing service to his country. Chris 
spent 10 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, which includes two tours in 
Afghanistan. During that time, he received numerous awards including 
the Bronze Star with the combat `V' and the Presidential Unit Citation 
for leading a 9-day operation at the Zharwar Kili cave complex. This 
operation was a national priority objective directly on the Afghan/
Pakistan border. Lieutenant Commander Cassidy received a second Bronze 
Star for combat leadership service in Afghanistan in 2004. Chris was 
also a Quest speaker at the U.S. Naval Academy's 2003 and 2004 Combat 
Leadership Seminars.
  Upon returning from his service, Chris was selected by the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration to begin astronaut training in 
2004 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
  The space shuttle STS-127 mission is Lieutenant Commander Cassidy's 
first time in space. As this Nation celebrates the 40th anniversary of 
the Apollo 11 mission and the first man on the moon, Chris Cassidy 
becomes the 500th person to travel to space on the Space Shuttle 
Endeavor. The STS-127 mission's primary goal is to deliver the final 
components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory 
to the International Space Station, which will be essential to allowing 
astronauts to perform valuable science experiments that are exposed to 
the vacuum of space. In order to install those components, five space 
walks are scheduled for the 16-day mission and Chris is expected to 
perform three of them.
  This resolution recognizes Space Shuttle Mission Specialist Navy 
Lieutenant Commander Chris Cassidy of STS-127 space shuttle mission and 
the Expedition 19 International Space Station mission and for becoming 
the 500th person in history to fly into space; and also commends him 
and the rest of the STS-127 Mission crew for risking their lives in the 
advance of science and human understanding. I hope my colleagues will 
join Senator Collins and me in supporting this resolution.

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