[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      NEIL A. ARMSTRONG FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER AND HUGH L. DRYDEN 
                AERONAUTICAL TEST RANGE DESIGNATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JIM JORDAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 25, 2013

  Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their 
strong vote last night in support of H.R. 667, which would designate 
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base as the 
Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center. I thank the gentleman from 
California, Mr. McCarthy, for allowing me to be an original cosponsor 
of this legislation.
  Forty-four years ago this July, Commander Neil Armstrong and his 
Apollo 11 crewmates achieved something once thought impossible: 
successfully landing on the moon and returning safely to the earth. 
They succeeded despite the many dangers they faced and the countless 
things that could have gone wrong during their pioneering mission.
  I am especially honored to represent Neil Armstrong's birthplace: 
Wapakoneta, Ohio, which takes great pride in being home to the Neil 
Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The museum has on display various 
artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and other articles from 
Armstrong's long and storied career.
  As a test pilot, Armstrong spent seven years at the facility that 
will soon bear his name. Then called the High-Speed Flight Station, it 
was a key site for the foundational work done by NASA's predecessor 
agency, the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics, NACA. Armstrong 
logged 2,400 hours of flight time there, piloting the X-15 rocket-
powered plane and other cutting-edge prototypes. He was also part of 
the team that designed and tested early mockups of a lunar landing 
vehicle.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation also renames the Western Aeronautical 
Test Range at Edwards after Hugh L. Dryden, a good friend of Neil 
Armstrong who served as NACA director from 1947 to 1958. Upon the 
creation of NASA in 1958, Dryden was named deputy director. While he 
did not live to see Armstrong's moon landing, his many contributions in 
the field of aerodynamics helped make the Apollo missions possible. I 
am pleased that his career will continue to be celebrated through this 
legislation.
  Neil Armstrong's many achievements in space exploration renewed 
America's sense of hope for the future. His work at the Dryden Center 
set the foundation for every NASA mission that followed. He sought no 
honors during his lifetime and was rich in giving credit to others, 
never failing to recognize the contributions of the engineers and 
technicians who helped make his moon landing possible. I was proud to 
join my colleagues last night in honoring this American hero and son of 
Ohio.

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