[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING JOHN DAVID GOODLETTE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a 
distinguished Kentuckian who is being honored by the Commonwealth and 
by the many people who know and respect his life's work. The late John 
David Goodlette came from small town beginnings: he was born in Hazard, 
KY, in 1925 to Dudley and Lillian Goodlette. He would go on to become a 
highly respected rocket engineer who was instrumental in the Viking 
missions to land American spacecraft on the surface of the planet Mars.
  From a young age, John had a passion for flight and aircraft. He 
would assemble model aircraft as a hobby, and this hobby soon grew to 
include piloting gliders and small aircraft. John's interest in flight 
led him to study engineering, and after graduating from Hazard High 
School in 1943, he would enroll at the University of Kentucky, where he 
studied mechanical engineering. His studies were interrupted by his 
service in the U.S. Army during World War II, when John served as a 
tugboat captain in the South Pacific. After resuming his studies at UK, 
he graduated in 1949.
  The majority of John's professional career was spent at the Martin 
Marietta Corp., now known as Lockheed Martin, where he worked for 39 
years. His research initially focused on jet propulsion, heat transfer, 
and thermodynamics, but he soon found himself immersed in developing 
rocket programs for the company.
  In 1956, John was selected to lead Martin Marietta's Titan 
intercontinental ballistic missile project. The project led him to 
increase his familiarity with nuclear physics, high-speed gas dynamics, 
and electrical engineering.
  Then came the project that would be the highlight of John's career: 
the Viking project. John served as chief engineer on this project for 
10 years, which culminated with the successful landing of two Viking 
spacecraft on the surface of Mars in July and September of 1976.
  ``The Viking was one of those heart-in-the-mouth things,'' John has 
been quoted as saying. ``We never knew for sure it was going to work. 
That kept us going at a fever pitch to make sure all went right.''
  The Viking program was the most expensive and ambitious mission to 
Mars to that point and resulted in the bulk of our knowledge of the Red 
Planet for the next several decades. They were highly successful 
missions for which John Goodlette rightfully deserves a large share of 
the credit.
  John is being inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame for 
his pioneering role in aviation and space exploration. Students and 
aviation enthusiasts from all over the Commonwealth, but especially 
from Hazard, can be proud of what this son of Kentucky accomplished in 
a brilliant career devoted to technology and science.
  John also serves as an inspiration at the Challenger Learning Center 
of Kentucky, which uses space exploration as a tool to excite and 
inspire students to learn science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics. The Center is located in Hazard, John's hometown.
  John would go on to serve as a vice president of Martin Marietta and 
retire in 1991 after 39 years with the company. He has sadly passed on 
now and is unable to witness this historic occasion in his honor, but 
members of his family will be present at the Kentucky Aviation Hall of 
Fame induction ceremony.
  I know John's three children, Sarah, David, and Alice, must be proud 
of all their father accomplished in his remarkable career. John not 
only served his country in uniform, he also added greatly to the sum 
total of knowledge in the universe for the benefit of his country and 
all of mankind.
  On behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I want to thank the 
Goodlette family and express my admiration and respect for John David 
Goodlette's life and work. We are truly grateful for his passion to 
exploration and his service.

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