[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4561-S4562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 233--HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE NATIONAL 
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ON REACHING 
   THE HISTORIC MILESTONE OF THE 135TH AND FINAL FLIGHT OF THE SPACE 
                         TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

  Mr. NELSON of Florida (for himself, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mrs. 
Hutchison, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Rockefeller, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
Udall of Colorado, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Vitter) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 233

       Whereas the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on July 8, 
     2011, is the 135th and final flight of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Transportation 
     System (STS-135) and the 33rd flight of the space shuttle 
     Atlantis;
       Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
     built 5 space-capable orbiters, the Columbia, the Challenger, 
     the Discovery, the Atlantis, and the Endeavour;
       Whereas, with the launch of STS-135, 355 individuals will 
     have flown 852 times during the history of the Space Shuttle 
     Program, beginning with the launch of the first Space 
     Transportation System flight on April 12, 1981;
       Whereas a spirit of international partnership has been 
     fostered among the 16 countries represented on the space 
     shuttle missions flown during the history of the Space 
     Shuttle Program, including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, 
     Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Saudi 
     Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United 
     States;
       Whereas the space shuttles together have flown 537,114,016 
     miles, with STS-135 adding an additional 4,000,000 miles;
       Whereas, during the history of the Space Shuttle Program, 
     more than 2,000 on-orbit experiments have been conducted in 
     the fields of Earth science, biology, fluids, materials 
     sciences, and astronomy;
       Whereas the Space Shuttle Program has executed the launch 
     and service of the Hubble Space Telescope, enabling 
     groundbreaking and breathtaking views of the universe outside 
     of our solar system;
       Whereas the space shuttles have docked to 2 different space 
     stations, with 9 missions to Mir, the space station of the 
     Government of Russia, and 37 missions to the International 
     Space Station;
       Whereas the Space Shuttle Program has been essential to the 
     on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station and 
     vital to ensuring the continued viability and support of the 
     International Space Station;
       Whereas the space shuttles have landed at the Kennedy Space 
     Center 77 times, at Edwards Air Force Base 54 times, and at 
     the White Sands Test Facility once;
       Whereas the launch configuration of the entire Space 
     Transportation System contains approximately 2,500,000 moving 
     parts and, at lift-off, weighs approximately 4,500,000 
     pounds; and
       Whereas the space shuttles can travel around the Earth at a 
     speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration on reaching the historic milestone of the 
     135th and final flight of the Space Transportation System;
       (2) honors the men and women of the Space Shuttle Program, 
     who worked tirelessly to

[[Page S4562]]

     design, build, and operate the Space Transportation System, 
     in order to promote science, exploration, and international 
     cooperation;
       (3) remembers the 14 crewmembers lost during the space 
     shuttle Challenger accident, which occurred on January 28, 
     1986, and the space shuttle Columbia accident, which occurred 
     on February 1, 2003;
       (4) notes the diligence in applying the lessons learned 
     through the Challenger and Columbia tragedies to honor the 14 
     crewmembers we lost and enhance the safety of the crewmembers 
     that followed;
       (5) recognizes that the Space Shuttle Program has inspired 
     generations of children to become engineers, scientists, and 
     explorers, which has led to maintaining the precedent of 
     leadership in human space exploration set by the United 
     States during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions; and
       (6) acknowledges that the Space Shuttle Program has, 
     through its technological advancements and scientific 
     research, driven innovation in the fields of science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics to benefit the 
     people of the United States and all of humankind.

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