[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN HONOR OF ROBERT M. LIGHTFOOT, JR. ON HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE 
                    ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2012

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate Robert M. Lightfoot, 
Jr., on the occasion of his appointment as the Associate Administrator 
for NASA, the agency's highest-ranking civil servant position. As he is 
the first native Alabamian to hold this position, I am pleased to stand 
before this body of Congress to recognize his contributions to NASA and 
our country.
  He previously was director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in 
Huntsville, Ala. Named to the position in August 2009, he headed one of 
NASA's largest field installations, which plays a critical role in 
NASA's space operations, exploration and science missions. Mr. 
Lightfoot managed a broad range of propulsion, scientific and space 
transportation activities contributing to the nation's space program.
  From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Lightfoot was Deputy Director of the Marshall 
Space Flight Center. Lightfoot served as manager of the Space Shuttle 
Propulsion Office at Marshall from 2005 to 2007, where he was 
responsible for overseeing the manufacture, assembly and operation of 
the primary shuttle propulsion elements: the main engines, external 
tank, solid rocket boosters and reusable solid rocket motors.
  Mr. Lightfoot received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering 
in 1986 from the University of Alabama. In October 2007, he was named 
Distinguished Departmental Fellow for the University of Alabama, 
Department of Mechanical Engineering. He was selected as a University 
of Alabama College of Engineering fellow in 2009. Lightfoot serves on 
the University of Alabama Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board. In 
2010, he was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of 
Fame.
  Mr. Lightfoot has received numerous awards during his NASA career, 
including a NASA Outstanding Leadership medal in 2007 for exemplary 
leadership of the Shuttle Propulsion Office, assuring safety for the 
return to flight of the space shuttle. In 2006, he was awarded the 
Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives, and in 2010 he 
received the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives--the 
highest honors attainable for federal government work. In 2000, Mr. 
Lightfoot received a Spaceflight Leadership Recognition Award, which 
recognizes leaders who exemplify characteristics necessary for success. 
In 1999, NASA's astronaut corps presented him with a Silver Snoopy 
Award, which honors individuals who have made key contributions to the 
success of human spaceflight missions. He also received the NASA 
Exceptional Achievement Medal in 1996 for significant contributions to 
NASA's mission.
  We are thankful for the years of dedication and hard work by Robert 
Lightfoot. We wish him and his family the best in this new role of 
service to our country.

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