[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 203 (Wednesday, December 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPACE CENTER 
                                HOUSTON

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                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 2017

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 
twenty-fifth anniversary of Space Center Houston, the Official Visitor 
Center of the NASA Johnson Space Center.
  Since opening in 1992, Space Center Houston has welcomed nearly 
twenty million visitors and currently hosts nearly one million visitors 
annually in its 250,000 square-foot educational complex. The Manned 
Space Flight Foundation, a private entity separate from NASA, funds 
Space Center Houston, its educational programs and the preservation of 
artifacts in its space science museum. Educational emphasis is placed 
on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in a fun 
and engaging way
  At Space Center Houston you can see the history and future of human 
spaceflight under one roof and it is the only Smithsonian Affiliate 
museum in Houston. The Visitor's Center is home to a one-of-a-kind 
exhibit displaying the world's only shuttle replica (Independence) 
mounted on an original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (NASA 905). For the 
first time, only at Space Center Houston, you can see the spacecraft 
from the first and last lunar landings under the same roof. Currently, 
Space Center Houston is partnering with the Smithsonian National Air 
and Space Museum to display both the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 command 
modules to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of our nation's 
extraordinary achievement of man's first step on the Moon in 1969.
  Through Space Center Houston, the foundation can teach future 
generations how far we've come with the space program and emphasize how 
far we have to go to touch the rest of our universe.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Congressman who represents Space Center Houston, 
and as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space, it is my distinct 
honor to recognize Space Center Houston on this milestone occasion.

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