[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CONGRATULATING THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 30, 2011

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, when someone thinks of Idaho, they usually 
think of the things the state is most well known for, like potatoes, 
Boise State football, world-class hunting and fishing, or any other of 
the numerous outdoor attractions popular in the State. One thing Idaho 
is not yet well known for is its contributions to deep space 
exploration, yet that is the reason I come to the floor today.
  I rise today to pay tribute to the dedicated men and women of the 
Idaho National Laboratory, INL, who have made significant contributions 
to NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission. This mission has sent a 
large mobile laboratory--a planetary rover named Curiosity--into space, 
and is now headed to the surface of Mars. One of the greatest 
challenges for deep space exploration has always been providing a 
reliable source of electricity to power scientific instruments and 
provide heat to keep them from freezing in the harsh conditions of 
space. NASA used solar power for its earlier voyages to Mars, but 
because of its limitations, NASA decided to utilize nuclear powered 
batteries to provide the needed heat and power for the mission. The 
best place to assemble and test these batteries was Idaho.
  Why Idaho? Well, Idaho has a long history of leadership and 
innovation in the nuclear power arena. After World War II, Idaho was 
chosen as the new home of the Nuclear Reactor Testing Station, where 
for the first time it was demonstrated that nuclear power could be used 
to generate usable forms of electricity. In the 60 years since, over 50 
nuclear reactors have been designed and tested in Idaho, leading to the 
development of extensive capabilities and expertise. This expertise 
handling nuclear materials made Idaho an ideal location when NASA 
needed to develop the next space battery that would power its new 
planetary rover.
  The Mars Science Laboratory mission has the potential to be the most 
productive Mars surface mission in history. That is due, in part to its 
nuclear heat and power source. The rover Curiosity, which is the size 
of a small car, is carrying the most advanced payload of scientific 
gear ever used on Mars' surface. The nuclear powered rover can go 
farther, travel to more places and power and heat a larger and more 
capable scientific payload than a solar powered vehicle would in the 
same environment. Curiosity will travel to locations on Mars that have 
been off-limits before and collect samples and perform analysis on a 
far larger scale than previously imagined. This is all possible because 
of Curiosity's unique nuclear-powered batteries.
  A dedicated team of INL scientists and engineers began assembling and 
testing these batteries in the summer of 2008. After extensive testing 
to ensure the batteries would perform as expected during the launch and 
subsequent travel through space, and then again when the rover began 
its mission on Mars, the team of INL employees felt confident the 
batteries would do what they needed to do. Many of these people 
sacrificed significant time away from families to ensure every aspect 
of the batteries would work as planned, a service that this country 
should be grateful for. But in the end, I'm sure the individuals who 
put thousands of hours into this project have considered it a privilege 
and an honor to be involved.
  Last Saturday, when Curiosity lifted off from its launch pad at the 
Kennedy Space Center to begin its nearly nine month voyage to Mars, it 
may have seemed odd to see a large group of people in Idaho celebrating 
while they watched the event unfold on a big screen. But for this 
dedicated team of INL employees, it was a moment they had been 
anxiously awaiting for years. They can be proud of the fact that 
whatever new discoveries are made as a result of this new state-of-the-
art rover would not be possible without their contributions. And for 
that, I extend heart-felt congratulations.

                          ____________________