[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONGRATULATING NASA FLIGHT DIRECTOR MARY LAWRENCE

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate Mary Lawrence, a native of Pennsylvania's Fifth 
Congressional District, who was named late last year as one of the five 
new flight directors to manage the operations of the International 
Space Station from NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston.
  Mary grew up in Wattsburg, Erie County, earned a bachelor's degree in 
mechanical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University's Behrend 
campus in 2001. Following graduation, she worked for the U.S. Space 
Alliance, a NASA contractor, before joining NASA in 2007.
  As a flight director, Mary will lead teams of flight controllers, 
research and engineering experts, along with support personnel, in 
ensuring the crew of the International Space Station have the tools 
that they need to conduct their important scientific research.
  Mr. Speaker, Mary is hoping to be certified as a flight director in a 
few months, and will then be one of only 27 active flight directors for 
NASA.
  Again, I congratulate Mary, her husband, Andrew, and their entire 
family on this commendable accomplishment. I wish her the best of luck 
as her career with NASA continues.

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