[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 187 (Thursday, November 21, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 441--CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APOLLO 
                            12 MOON LANDING

  Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
Rubio, Mr. Warner, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Capito, Ms. 
Duckworth, Mr. Moran, Mr. Jones, Mr. Gardner, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
Isakson, Ms. Harris, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Brown, Ms. 
Sinema, and Ms. Cantwell) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 441

       Whereas, on May 25, 1961, before a joint session of 
     Congress, President John F. Kennedy--
       (1) declared, ``Now it is time to take longer strides--time 
     for a great new American enterprise--time for this Nation to 
     take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in 
     many ways may hold the key to our future on Earth.''; and
       (2) with his words, set the goal of sending astronauts to 
     the Moon and returning them safely to the Earth;
       Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``NASA'') mobilized and 
     established the Apollo space program to meet the goal set by 
     President Kennedy;
       Whereas the Apollo space program built on the achievements 
     of the prior space programs of NASA, including the Mercury 
     and Gemini missions;
       Whereas the successful Moon landing honored the tragic 
     sacrifice of every astronaut whose life had previously been 
     lost in the service of United States spaceflight research, 
     including--
       (1) Roger B. Chaffee, Virgil ``Gus'' I. Grissom, and Edward 
     H. White II, the astronauts who lost their lives during the 
     pre-flight test for Apollo 1; and
       (2) Theodore C. Freeman, Charles A. Bassett II, Elliot See, 
     Jr., Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., Michael J. Adams, and Clifton 
     C. Williams, Jr.;
       Whereas the crew of the Apollo 12 mission consisted of--
       (1) Charles ``Pete'' Conrad, Jr., Mission Commander;
       (2) Alan Bean, Lunar Module Pilot; and
       (3) Richard F. Gordon, Command Module Pilot;

       Whereas the entire Apollo 12 crew consisted of individuals 
     who had served in the Navy;
       Whereas the official insignia of the mission was the 
     clipper ship, which increased the use of the seas by the 
     United States, just as the Apollo program increased the use 
     of space-based knowledge and exploration;
       Whereas David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. 
     Irwin stood ready to support or stand in for the Apollo 12 
     crew;
       Whereas, on November 14, 1969, the Apollo 12 crew launched 
     from the John F. Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn V 
     rocket;
       Whereas, on November 19, 1969, the Intrepid Lunar Module 
     landed on the surface of the Moon as the second-ever crewed 
     Moon mission of the United States;
       Whereas Apollo 12 carried the second Apollo crew to the 
     moon to build on the work of the first crew from Apollo 11;
       Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 conducted an orbital maneuver 
     to land in the Western Hemisphere of the Moon to recover 
     portions of a previous lander that had been on the surface of 
     the Moon for 2 years to study the effects of extended 
     exposure to the surface of the Moon;
       Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 planted the flag of the 
     United States in lunar soil, and images of the lunar surface 
     indicate that the Apollo 12 flag is still standing;
       Whereas the Intrepid carried flags from 136 nations, the 
     United Nations, and the 50 States and the territories of the 
     United States, representing the international coordination 
     and collaboration of space exploration and the scientific 
     intent of the Apollo missions;
       Whereas the Apollo 12 crew collected lunar samples and 
     conducted experiments to gain a better understanding of the 
     composition of the Moon and conditions on its surface;
       Whereas Apollo 12 deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface 
     Experiments Package, a set of instruments left on the surface 
     of the Moon to gather data;
       Whereas the success of the Apollo 12 Moon landing was a 
     result of the skill, dedication, and collective effort of 
     tens of thousands of workers, scientists, engineers, and 
     contractors of the United States;
       Whereas the Apollo 12 mission further demonstrated the 
     focus and capability of the scientific community of the 
     United States and cemented the United States as the world 
     leader in space exploration;
       Whereas, 50 years later, the Apollo 12 Moon landing 
     continues to inspire national and international scientific 
     efforts in space, medicine, and other fields; and
       Whereas the knowledge and experience gained from the Apollo 
     space program continues to inform missions to Mars, the far 
     reaches of the solar system, and beyond: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon 
     landing;
       (2) honors the bravery and skill of Charles ``Pete'' 
     Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard F. Gordon, the crew of 
     Apollo 12;
       (3) commends the efforts of all of the individuals of the 
     United States who contributed to the achievement of the 
     Apollo 12 Moon landing, exemplifying a cooperative effort on 
     a national scale that continues to inspire scientific 
     progress; and
       (4) supports the continued leadership of the United States 
     in the exploration and use of space through human 
     spaceflight.

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