[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 158 (Thursday, October 20, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S6881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 307--HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE JOHN C. 
STENNIS SPACE CENTER ON REACHING THE HISTORIC MILESTONE OF 50 YEARS OF 
                         ROCKET ENGINE TESTING

  Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Vitter, and Ms. Landrieu) 
submitted the following resolution; which was:

                              S. Res. 307

       Whereas, 50 years ago this month, on October 25, 1961, the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in 
     this preamble as ``NASA'') publicly announced plans to 
     establish a testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, 
     for the purpose of flight-certifying all first and second 
     stages of the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo lunar landing 
     program that would take humans to the Moon;
       Whereas the testing facility was renamed the John C. 
     Stennis Space Center (referred to in this preamble as the 
     ``Stennis Space Center'') in 1988 in honor of United States 
     Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi;
       Whereas the Stennis Space Center conducted 45 engine tests 
     for the Apollo program;
       Whereas the Stennis Space Center is now home to the largest 
     rocket engine test complex in the United States and serves as 
     the premier rocket-propulsion testing facility in the United 
     States, providing propulsion test services for NASA, the 
     Department of Defense, and commercial providers;
       Whereas NASA has celebrated the end of a successful Space 
     Shuttle program, having conducted more than 2,000 total space 
     shuttle main engine tests and certified 54 flight engines at 
     the Stennis Space Center;
       Whereas, as NASA enters a new era in space exploration, the 
     Stennis Space Center will continue to play a vital role in 
     the United States space program and commercial space efforts;
       Whereas the Stennis Space Center has grown into a unique 
     Federal city that includes more than 30 Federal, State, 
     academic, and private organizations, and numerous technology-
     based companies;
       Whereas the companies and agencies at the Stennis Space 
     Center share the cost of operating and maintaining the 
     facility, making the accomplishment of missions by each 
     entity more cost-effective;
       Whereas the Stennis Space Center is home to--
       (1) the United States Naval Meteorology and Oceanography 
     Command, which includes the largest concentration of 
     oceanographers in the world;
       (2) the most powerful supercomputer of the United States 
     Navy; and
       (3) the National Center for Critical Information Processing 
     and Storage, which is facilitating the data center 
     consolidation efforts by the Department of Homeland Security;

       Whereas the Stennis Space Center played a critical role 
     during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by providing unique 
     resources and expertise on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem to 
     predict the spread and impact of the spill;
       Whereas the Stennis Space Center is an economic engine for 
     Mississippi and Louisiana, generating--
       (1) approximately 5,400 jobs;
       (2) a direct global economic impact of $875,000,000; and
       (3) a direct economic impact of $616,000,000 within a 50-
     mile radius; and

       Whereas the Stennis Space Center is committed to continuing 
     in the role of inspiring the next generation of United States 
     scientists, engineers, and professionals: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration on reaching the historic milestone of the 50th 
     anniversary of the John C. Stennis Space Center; and
       (2) honors the men and women who worked tirelessly to 
     design, build, and test the rocket engines used in the Apollo 
     and Space Shuttle programs in order to promote science, 
     engineering, innovation, and exploration to the benefit of 
     the United States and all humankind.

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