[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 35 (Thursday, March 3, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 385--RECOGNIZING THE HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT OF 
  ASTRONAUT SCOTT JOSEPH KELLY OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE 
 ADMINISTRATION AS THE FIRST PERSON OF THE UNITED STATES TO COMPLETE A 
                   CONTINUOUS 1-YEAR MISSION IN SPACE

  Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Peters, and Mr. 
Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation:

                              S. Res. 385

       Whereas Scott Joseph Kelly was born on February 21, 1964, 
     to Richard and Patricia Kelly in Orange, New Jersey, and 
     raised in West Orange, New Jersey;
       Whereas Scott Kelly received--
       (1) a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering 
     from the State University of New York Maritime College in 
     1987; and
       (2) a Master of Science degree in aviation systems from the 
     University of Tennessee in 1996;
       Whereas in July 1989, Scott Kelly was designated as a naval 
     aviator in Beeville, Texas, and subsequently made overseas 
     deployments aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to--
       (1) the North Atlantic Ocean;
       (2) the Mediterranean Sea;
       (3) the Red Sea; and
       (4) the Persian Gulf;
       Whereas since completing training at the United States 
     Naval Test Pilot School in June 1994, Scott Kelly has--
       (1) logged over 8,000 hours in not fewer than 40 different 
     aircraft and spacecraft; and
       (2) made not fewer than 250 carrier landings;
       Whereas in 2012, Scott Kelly retired from the Navy as a 
     captain;
       Whereas since being selected by the National Aeronautics 
     and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``NASA'') for astronaut training in 1996, Scott Kelly has 
     served--
       (1) in 1999, as a pilot of the Space Shuttle Discovery on 
     STS-103 to service the Hubble Space Telescope;
       (2) in 2007, as Mission Commander of the Space Shuttle 
     Endeavor on STS-118 to the International Space Station 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``ISS'');
       (3) as a flight engineer for ISS Expedition 25;
       (4) as the Commander of ISS Expedition 26; and
       (5) as a 1-year crew member of ISS Expeditions 43, 44, 45, 
     and 46, including 6 months of service as Commander;
       Whereas on March 27, 2015, Scott Kelly launched into space 
     for a 340-day mission aboard the ISS;
       Whereas during his 340-day voyage aboard the ISS, Scott 
     Kelly--
       (1) remained in continuous orbit around the Earth;
       (2) achieved the longest continuous amount of time that a 
     United States astronaut has spent living in space;
       (3) in addition to his regular duties of ISS maintenance, 
     participated in hundreds of scientific studies; and
       (4) conducted 3 space walks;
       Whereas Scott Kelly participated in a 1-year twins study in 
     space while his identical twin brother, former NASA astronaut 
     Mark Kelly, acted as a human control specimen on Earth, 
     providing an understanding of the physical, behavioral, 
     microbiological, and molecular reaction of the human body to 
     an extended period of time in space, which could--
       (1) be pivotal for the United States goal for humans to 
     explore Mars; and
       (2) contribute to unforeseen scientific innovations that 
     benefit all of humanity;
       Whereas the 340-day space mission of Scott Kelly--
       (1) generated new insight into how the human body adjusts 
     to weightlessness, isolation, radiation, and the stress of 
     long-duration space flight; and
       (2) will help support astronaut physical and mental well-
     being during longer space exploration missions in the future;
       Whereas Scott Kelly completed the 340-day mission with 
     Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, embodying peaceful 
     international cooperation in outer space;
       Whereas on March 1, 2016, Scott Kelly touched down on 
     Earth, ending his 340-day space voyage; and
       Whereas, the 1-year mission of Scott Kelly marks a 
     significant step in reaching the goals of NASA of future 
     missions to Mars, elsewhere in the solar system, and beyond: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration astronaut Scott Kelly for--
       (A) the historic achievement in completing a 1-year mission 
     in space; and
       (B) a successful return to Earth, the United States, and 
     his family;
       (2) recognizes that--
       (A) the 1-year mission of Scott Kelly contributed to 
     research on the effects of long-duration space flight on the 
     human body and mind; and
       (B) continuing studies of human health are critical to 
     future human exploration of space; and
       (3) applauds the contributions of the 1-year journey in 
     space of Scott Kelly to the scientific progress of the United 
     States.

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