[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 123 (Thursday, September 13, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H5928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMEMORATING NEIL ARMSTRONG

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, I represent Alabama's Fifth Congressional 
District, home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, home to the 
Saturn V rocket that carried American astronauts to the Moon.
  Today, the Fifth District's talented scientists, engineers, and 
others work tirelessly to develop the Space Launch System for manned 
space flight both to and beyond low Earth orbit.
  In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy challenged America to 
do the impossible, send an astronaut to the Moon and safely return him. 
As a young boy in the 1960s, I vividly remember the Earth tremble, 
dishes rattle, and windows pulsate as America tested our Saturn V 
rocket on nearby Redstone Arsenal. In 1969, America's hard work paid 
off.
  I will never forget watching the grainy, black-and-white footage on 
TV as American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped on to the lunar dust. 
The thrill of that moment, our pride in America, our awe of what 
Americans could do have belonged to all Americans ever since. 
Armstrong's walk on the Moon helped define America and changed world 
history as we left Earth behind and ventured into the mysteries of 
space.
  Neil Armstrong was an accomplished aerospace engineer, Navy pilot, 
astronaut, and the first man to walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong will 
be forever immortalized as a brave and great explorer.
  Toward the end of his life, Neil Armstrong spoke frequently and 
passionately about the future of manned space flight. Neil Armstrong 
understood that American exceptionalism is in jeopardy and may be lost 
to future generations.
  As a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I 
recently had the privilege to meet Neil Armstrong during a public 
hearing on NASA's Space Launch System, the Orion Multipurpose Crew 
Vehicle, and America's role in space. During that hearing, Neil 
Armstrong expressed concerns about the direction of America's space 
program.
  Neil Armstrong testified, and I quote:

       The past year has been frustrating to NASA observers as 
     they tried to understand NASA's plans and progress. NASA 
     leadership enthusiastically assured the American people that 
     the agency was embarking on an exciting new age of discovery 
     in the cosmos. But the realities of the termination of the 
     shuttle program, the cancellation of existing rocket launcher 
     and spacecraft programs, the layoffs of thousands of 
     aerospace workers, and the outlook for American space 
     activity throughout the next decade were difficult to 
     reconcile with the agency assertions.

  Neil Armstrong continued, and again I quote:

       So, much has been accomplished. But NASA, hobbled by 
     cumbrous limitations, has been unable to articulate a master 
     plan that excites the imagination and provides a semblance of 
     predictability to the aerospace industry.

  Neil Armstrong concluded by testifying, and again I quote:

       Predicting the future is inherently risky, but the proposed 
     Space Launch System includes many proven and reliable 
     components which suggest that its development could be 
     relatively trouble free. If that proves to be so, it would 
     bode well for exploration.

  In the midst of America's current economic malaise and deficit-ridden 
Federal spending on programs that do nothing or little to advance 
technology or humanity's condition, I share Neil Armstrong's concern 
for the future of NASA and whether Washington has the inspirational 
leadership exhibited by President Kennedy in the 1960s, or ``the right 
stuff'' that is essential for space exploration.
  Today, American astronauts hitch a ride from Russia. Oh, how far we 
have fallen. Quite frankly, America and the human condition beg for the 
White House leadership once shown by President Kennedy, but which now 
is sorely lacking.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a whole universe out there waiting for us to 
explore. Just as America did in the 1960s, today's Americans can 
accomplish what is seemingly impossible. All America lacks is the 
vision needed to help us understand where we should go and the 
leadership needed to get us there.
  Mr. Speaker, America will best honor the memory of Neil Armstrong and 
his achievements by striving for the American exceptionalism 
exemplified by Neil Armstrong in continuing his dream of manned space 
flight and exploration.

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