[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 126 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5098-S5099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ``APOLLO 11''

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the moon landing and New Hampshire's role in this 
important moment of history.
  On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin completed their 13th 
orbit around the Moon and fired up the descent engine on the now-
historic Eagle Apollo Lunar Module. With pilot Michael Collins staying 
behind in the command module, Columbia, these American heroes, with the 
entire world watching and backed by a whole generation of scientists, 
engineers, and specialists supporting them on the ground, began their 
initial descent to be the first humans to set foot on another planetary 
body.
  What many Americans may not know is that as both pilots began their 
historic descent, critical New Hampshire-made technology was helping 
them along the way. Sensors made by RdF Corporation in Hudson were a 
part of the lunar module propulsion system guiding them to the lunar 
surface. RdF sensors were also on their spacesuits as they took that 
first giant leap for mankind.
  RdF, which continues to support the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, NASA, as it looks to return to the Moon and then Mars, 
is just one of the many innovative small businesses in the Granite 
State that have played such a critical role in our country's space 
program.
  For example, the Saturn V rocket program, which launched the Apollo 
crews to the Moon, benefitted from a state-of-the-art computerized 
system which was developed at Sanders Associates in Nashua, now a part 
of BAE Systems. HaighFarr in Bedford has been in business for over 50 
years designing complex antennas for the space program and has played a 
significant role in our Mars lander and rover programs. Mikrolar, in 
Hampton, manufactures high precision positioning systems and is a 
critical piece of the James Webb Telescope, which will be the successor 
to the Hubble sometime in the next decade.
  The fact is that New Hampshire's pioneering and innovative small 
business community has been a mainstay in the aerospace community for 
decades and remains so today. As the ranking member on the 
Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees and funds NASA, I am 
supportive of NASA's efforts to get us back to the Moon and eventually 
Mars, particularly because I know Granite State businesses will be 
leading those efforts.
  It is not just the private sector in New Hampshire that has stepped 
up to keep us competitive in science and space. It is also our 
educational community. The University of New Hampshire, UNH, is a key 
contributor to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been in 
orbit around the Moon since 2009. The New Hampshire Space Grant 
Consortium, which includes nine Granite State affiliates, including 
UNH, Dartmouth, and our very own McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, is 
focused on educating our future scientists and space technicians.
  A true accounting of New Hampshire's role in space would not be 
complete without calling attention to two of our State's most 
impressive space-faring heroes: Alan Shepard and Christa McAuliffe.

[[Page S5099]]

  Alan Shepard was from Derry and is better known to the rest of the 
world as the first American in space. His historic 1961 Mercury flight 
paved the way for the Apollo missions to the Moon. I am also reminded 
that, as the commander of the follow-on Apollo 14 mission, he also 
became the first human to golf on the Moon's surface.
  Christa McAuliffe's legacy as an advocate for her students and for 
science education continues to inspire to this day. New Hampshire and 
the entire country are proud of her pioneering efforts. Earlier this 
month, the entire U.S. Senate honored that legacy and passed my 
legislation authorizing the U.S. Mint to produce a commemorative coin 
in her honor.
  As we continue to celebrate these American achievements, we also 
celebrate the New Hampshire businesses, institutions, and people who 
helped make that possible and remember the pride Americans everywhere 
felt that day.
  I also hope that the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing will serve 
as a wake-up call to all of us, a statement of the great things our 
country can do when we stand united, working together, and focused on a 
common goal. We need more of that today. I hope we will look to heroes 
like Christa McAuliffe, Alan Shepard, and the Apollo 11 crew as we 
rededicate ourselves as a nation to achieving the impossible.

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