[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 128 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFIRMING FULL OWNERSHIP RIGHTS TO ARTIFACTS FROM ASTRONAUTS' SPACE 
                                MISSIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 19, 2012

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4158, to Confirm 
Full Ownership Rights for Certain United States Astronauts to Artifacts 
from the Astronauts' Space Missions Act.
  H.R. 4158 preserves the rights of astronauts who served on the 
Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, through 
the time of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Flight, to retain full and complete 
ownership of certain artifacts such as personal logs and flight manuals 
that were used in training or during their flights.
  For many years, it was an accepted practice for astronauts to keep 
mementos of their training and flight missions.
  However, confusion surrounding NASA's informal policies on artifacts 
have led to attempts to repossess those artifacts years later.
  This has resulted in questions concerning the status of items that 
astronauts have had in their possession for years, if not decades, or 
donated to museums, universities, scholarship funds, and so forth.
  I support this bill, because it clarifies that the ownership of those 
artifacts rests with the astronauts who served during those missions, 
while preserving the current policy that ownership of moon rocks and 
lunar material will continue to rest with the Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, we lost an American hero, Neil 
Armstrong. He and his fellow astronauts fulfilled the dreams of a 
grateful nation by pushing the boundaries of space.
  One small way to show our gratitude is by passing this bill. I urge 
my colleagues to support it.

                          ____________________