[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3092-H3094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST USE OF THE TELESCOPE

  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1269) commemorating the 400th anniversary of the 
first use of the telescope for astronomical observation by the Italian 
scientist Galileo Galilei.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1269

       Whereas 2009 is the 400th anniversary of the first use of 
     the improved telescope capable of astronomical observations 
     by its developer, the Italian Renaissance scientist Galileo 
     Galilei;
       Whereas Galileo, born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564, was educated 
     at the University of Pisa where he became Professor of 
     Mathematics;
       Whereas he attained life tenure as Chair of Mathematics at 
     University of Padua;
       Whereas Galileo was appointed Chief Philosopher and 
     Mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de' Medici 
     II, his patron;
       Whereas Galileo had an integral role in the Scientific 
     Revolution of the 17th Century due to his major contributions 
     as a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher;
       Whereas Galileo is universally regarded as the ``Father of 
     Modern Astronomy'', ``Father of Modern Physics'', and 
     ``Father of Modern Science'';
       Whereas his experiments on the laws of motion, falling 
     bodies, and the parabolic paths of projectiles and his 
     observations of astronomical bodies were scientific advances;
       Whereas his inventions, the enhanced telescope; hydrostatic 
     balance; geometric and military compass; thermoscope 
     (thermometer); perfected compound microscope;

[[Page H3093]]

     pulsilogium (pulsiometer), enabled practical applications in 
     the fields of military and civil engineering, navigation, 
     medicine, and astronomy;
       Whereas his newly designed instruments of measurement, 
     coupled with his theory that the natural world was written in 
     the language of mathematics, laid the groundwork for modern 
     scientific method and research;
       Whereas Galileo's use of his telescope, the central 
     instrument of the Scientific Revolution, enabled his 
     discovery of certain features of the surface of the moon, the 
     moons of Jupiter, the phases and motion of Venus, and 
     sunspots;
       Whereas these findings confirmed that the Copernican Sun 
     Centered Solar System was plausible;
       Whereas this changed human understanding of the cosmos;
       Whereas Galileo published his theories and findings in 
     several treatises, letters, and books, most importantly, 
     Siderius Nuncius and the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief 
     World Systems;
       Whereas Galileo's body of work enabled subsequent 
     generations, in particular in the United States, to build on 
     the tradition of scientific research, to be in the forefront 
     of new scientific endeavors, specifically in medicine, 
     technology, and space exploration, resulting in the 
     betterment of mankind;
       Whereas the United States of America has previously honored 
     the scientist through naming a research aircraft, 
     ``Galileo'', commissioned for the Eclipse Expedition in 1965, 
     and naming one of its major interplanetary missions, the 
     Galileo Expedition to Jupiter, launched in 1989 and ending 
     its 14-year odyssey in 2003;
       Whereas America also has built on the legacy of Galileo 
     with NASA's most successful long-term science mission, the 
     launch in 1990 of the Hubble Space Telescope, which 
     contributes to our understanding of the universe;
       Whereas as part of NASA's tribute to Galileo, a replica of 
     Galileo's telescope, provided by the Istituto e Museo di 
     Storia della Scienza, Florence, Italy, was carried into space 
     by Italian American astronaut, Michael Massimino, on the May 
     2009 Atlantis mission to repair and update the orbiting 
     Hubble telescope;
       Whereas 2009 also marks the 40th anniversary of the moon 
     landing by the Apollo 11 astronauts, which gave mankind first 
     hand knowledge of the moon's surface, first observed in 
     detail when Galileo turned his telescope to the sky in 1609;
       Whereas the United Nations ``The International Year of 
     Astronomy 2009'' is a global effort with over 140 countries 
     participating, initiated by the International Astronomical 
     Union (IAU) and UNESCO, at the request of Italy, Galileo's 
     native country; and
       Whereas organizations, educational institutions, government 
     entities, most notably in Italy, Istituto e Museo di Storia 
     della Scienza and in the United States, NASA, Smithsonian 
     Institution, Franklin Institute in Philiadelphia, Italian 
     Embassy and Italian Consulates, National Italian American 
     Foundation and Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New 
     York, Inc., are celebrating the genius of Galileo Galilei and 
     ``The International Year of Astronomy 2009'' with numerous 
     public programs, publications, symposia, proclamation 
     ceremonies, and tributes to Galileo and his legacy: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Congress of the United States of America 
     commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first use of the 
     telescope by Galileo Galilei for astronomical observation and 
     marks this discovery as one of the major events impacting 
     mankind, and expresses its gratitude for Galileo's expansion 
     of the universe and mankind's understanding of his place in 
     the cosmos, and that the Congress of the United States of 
     America joins the world in celebration of ``The International 
     Year of Astronomy''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Fudge) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FUDGE. 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 H. Res. 1269, the resolution now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1269, a resolution 
commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first use of the telescope 
for astronomical observation by the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. 
I want to congratulate the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Tiberi) for 
introducing this important resolution recognizing the work of a true 
Renaissance man, Galileo.
  Galileo is known as the ``father of science.'' His numerous 
contributions in the areas of astronomy, mathematics, and physics laid 
the foundation for modern science. In fact, Galileo was the first 
scientist to apply the use of mathematics to the study of motion. In 
1609, within months of learning about the telescope, Galileo 
constructed his own more powerful version and began observing the night 
sky.
  With his telescope Galileo discovered sunspots, examined the surface 
of the moon, observed a supernova, and disproved the prevailing theory 
that the Earth was the center of the universe, instead observing that 
the Earth revolved around the Sun.
  Galileo's life and his many contributions to science have made his 
name synonymous with discovery. I want to once again commend Mr. Tiberi 
and his cosponsors for introducing this resolution and urge my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the important astronomical 
observations made by Galileo by voting in support of House Resolution 
1269.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1269, commemorating 
the 400th anniversary of the first use of the telescope by Galileo 
Galilei to peer into heavens.
  Galileo's brilliant refinements of existing telescope designs allowed 
humans for the first time to discern the Earth's closest neighbors to a 
level of detail that was breathtaking, such as valleys of the Moon, 
fellow planets in our solar system, and the moons of Jupiter.
  Most importantly, unlike his peers who trained their telescopes to 
look across the Earth's terrain, Galileo instead aimed his telescopes 
to look out into the heavens.
  Four hundred years later, who could have imagined the transformations 
unleashed by Galileo and his search of the night skies, both in terms 
of designs and capabilities of follow-on telescopes, as well as 
informing Earth's inhabitants of their genesis and their place in the 
universe.
  Today, ground-based telescopes sitting high atop mountain peaks are 
collecting immense amounts of data, enabling astronomers to discover 
new details about our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. Just 
as important, their findings raise new questions, leading to follow-on 
research campaigns all across the globe.

  Space-based telescopes, which have only been launched in the last 
several decades, have been equally spectacular. Virtually every citizen 
on Earth has seen pictures produced by the Hubble, Chandra, Compton, 
and Spitzer space telescopes. And the future of space-based and ground-
based astronomy promises to be just as exciting. To cite one example, 
NASA is hard at work completing construction of the James Webb space 
telescope, scheduled to be launched in 2014. It is designed to look at 
the infrared spectrum and will have a mirror that's 21 feet across, far 
larger than the mirror on Hubble. The potential discoveries that await 
are unknown.
  For men and women all across the globe, probably no field of science 
is more captivating and more exciting than astronomy. Galileo and his 
early telescopes provided the foundation, and this resolution rightly 
acknowledges his genius.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H. Res. 1269, 
commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first use of the telescope 
for astronomical observation by the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei.
  Galileo, born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564, was educated at the University 
of Pisa where he became Professor of Mathematics; he later attained 
life tenure as Chair of Mathematics at University of Padua. Galileo was 
appointed Chief Philosopher and Mathematician to the Grand Duke of 
Tuscany, Cosimo de' Medici II, his patron and had an integral role in 
the Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century due to his major 
contributions as a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and 
philosopher.
  Galileo Galilei is universally regarded as the `Father of Modern 
Astronomy', `Father of Modern Physics', and 'Father of Modern Science' 
due to all the advances he made in those fields. His experiments on the 
laws of motion, falling bodies, and the parabolic paths of projectiles 
and his observations of astronomical bodies were massive scientific 
advances. His

[[Page H3094]]

inventions, the enhanced telescope; hydrostatic balance; geometric and 
military compass; thermoscope (thermometer); perfected compound 
microscope; pulsilogium (pulsiometer), enabled practical applications 
in the fields of military and civil engineering, navigation, medicine, 
and astronomy.
  His newly designed instruments of measurement, coupled with his 
theory that the natural world was written in the language of 
mathematics, laid the groundwork for modern scientific method and 
research; Galileo's use of his telescope, the central instrument of the 
Scientific Revolution, enabled his discovery of certain features of the 
surface of the moon, the moons of Jupiter, the phases and motion of 
Venus, and sunspots. These findings confirmed that the Copernican Sun 
Centered Solar System was plausible and changed human understanding of 
the cosmos.
  Galileo published his theories and findings in several treatises, 
letters, and books, most importantly, Siderius Nuncius and the Dialogue 
Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. Galileo's body of work enabled 
subsequent generations, in particular in the United States, to build on 
the tradition of scientific research, to be in the forefront of new 
scientific endeavors, specifically in medicine, technology, and space 
exploration, resulting in the betterment of mankind. The United States 
of America has previously honored the scientist through naming a 
research aircraft, `Galileo', commissioned for the Eclipse Expedition 
in 1965, and naming one of its major interplanetary missions, the 
Galileo Expedition to Jupiter, launched in 1989 and ending its 14-year 
odyssey in 2003.
  America also has built on the legacy of Galileo with NASA's most 
successful long-term science mission, the launch in 1990 of the Hubble 
Space Telescope, which contributes to our understanding of the 
universe; as part of NASA's tribute to Galileo, a replica of Galileo's 
telescope, provided by the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, 
Florence, Italy, was carried into space by Italian American astronaut, 
Michael Massimino, on the May 2009 Atlantis mission to repair and 
update the orbiting Hubble telescope.
  As the Co-Chair of the Italian American Congressional Caucus I am 
able to reinforce the deep and binding ties between the United States 
and Italy. I work to promote the strong relationship between our two 
nations and honor our shared heritage. I am proud to commemorate this 
anniversary and express my gratitude for Galileo's expansion of the 
universe through his use of the telescope and mankind's understanding 
of his place in the cosmos. The contributions of scientist like Galileo 
make the United States the great nation that it is today. His legacy is 
our shared American history.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H. Res. 1269, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1269.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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