[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 26, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H5173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          OKLAHOMANS IN SPACE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oklahoma (Ms. Kendra S. Horn) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
celebrate the legacy and accomplishments of Oklahomans in space.
  Retired Air Force Colonel Stuart Roosa was one of six Apollo 
astronauts to fly solo around the Moon.
  After growing up in Claremore, Colonel Roosa studied at both Oklahoma 
State University and the University of Arizona before earning a 
bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering with honors from 
the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1960. Later he graduated from 
the Aviation Cadet Program at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, where 
he received his flight training commission in the U.S. Air Force.
  Roosa was one of 19 people selected to the astronaut class of 1966. 
Colonel Roosa served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the 
Apollo 9 mission and as the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 
mission from January 13 to February 9, 1971. In completing his first 
spaceflight, Roosa logged a total of 216 hours and 42 minutes in space. 
Following Apollo 14 he served as backup command pilot for Apollo 16 and 
Apollo 17. He was assigned to the space shuttle program until his 
retirement as a colonel from the Air Force in 1976.
  Former NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin describes Colonel Roosa as 
one of the can-do spacefarers who helped take America and all humankind 
to the Moon. Goldin said that Colonel Roosa exemplified the talents 
that NASA strives for: service to our Nation, technical know-how, and 
an unbridled creative spirit.


                    Celebrating Oklahomans in Space

  Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of Oklahomans in space.
  Skylab was the first space station operated by the United States. 
This space station spent 6 years orbiting the Earth. Within those 6 
years, two Oklahomans were part of the three successive, three-man 
crews to live aboard Skylab: William Pogue and Owen Garriott.
  Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, Pogue joined the U.S. Air Force and fought 
in the Korean war. In 1955 Colonel Pogue became a member of the 
Thunderbirds, the Air Force's elite aerobatics team, and then earned a 
master's degree from Oklahoma State University in 1960. In 1966 Colonel 
Pogue became an astronaut and served on the support crews for the 
Apollo 7, 11, and 14 missions.
  The pilot of record-setting American missions in space, Pogue was one 
of the few astronauts to ever go on strike while in orbit to demand 
more time to contemplate the universe.
  Colonel Pogue and the three-manned crew he was a part of flew the 
longest and last manned mission aboard Skylab from November 16, 1973 to 
February 8, 1974.
  Astronaut Owen Garriott was born in Enid, Oklahoma. He earned a 
bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of 
Oklahoma and his master's and doctoral degrees in electrical 
engineering from Stanford University.
  Dr. Garriott served as an electronics officer while on Active Duty 
with the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956 and was stationed aboard several 
U.S. destroyers at sea. He was selected as a scientist-astronaut by 
NASA in June 1965 and then completed a 53-week course in flight 
training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. He logged more than 5,000 
hours flying time, including more than 2,900 hours in jet and light 
aircraft, spacecraft, and helicopters. Garriott was the science-pilot 
for Skylab 3, the second crewed Skylab mission, and he was in orbit 
from July 28 to September 25, 1973.
  The crew of Skylab 3 logged 1,427 hours and 9 minutes each in space, 
setting a world record for a single mission. Garriott spent 13 hours 
and 43 minutes in three separate spacewalks as well. He also held the 
FAA commercial pilot and flight instructor certifications for 
instrument and multi-engine aircraft.
  Sadly, we lost Dr. Garriott just 2 months ago at the age of 88, but 
we are grateful for the contributions and the legacy set by Oklahomans, 
Colonel Pogue and Dr. Garriott and their exploration in space.

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