[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 104 (Thursday, June 4, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2707-S2708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        America's Space Program

  Mr. President, let me just on, maybe, on a happier note, talk about 
another event. We need a little good news, a little hope, a little 
optimism in America these days.
  Last weekend, America's space program made history with the 
successful SpaceX crew Dragon launch. It was nearly a decade ago that 
American astronauts in American rockets were launched into space from 
American soil. I mean, until last weekend, we were literally captives 
of the Russians in their providing the rockets or the rides we needed 
in order to get to the International Space Station. Yet that is not the 
only reason this launch was so significant. It marked the first time 
that our astronauts launched in a commercially built and operated 
spacecraft. I must say that it looked pretty slick to me.
  As we work to ensure our country remains a leader in human 
spaceflight, partnerships between the public and private sectors are 
going to continue to be very important. That is why NASA established a 
commercial crew program to link the brilliant minds at NASA with those 
innovative companies like SpaceX, and this launch gave us just a 
glimpse into how those partnerships will lead us in the future.
  I remember the launch of the Apollo 11 mission almost 51 years ago, 
and I remember seeing the photos of the astronauts in the command 
module. They wore bulky space suits, and the surrounding walls were 
completely covered with switches and dials and buttons. To be honest, 
not much changed over the next several decades. Even with the last 
launch on American soil

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in 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis looked pretty similar.
  What America saw on Saturday was a glimpse into the future. 
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were outfitted in custom-
designed and fitted space suits, and they were seated in front of a 
sleek touchscreen. It looked like the console of a Tesla, to me, but I 
am sure it was more sophisticated than that
  After the two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station, 
Behnken referred to the Dragon as a slick vehicle. Yet things don't 
just look like they were made for the future, for they were designed to 
work better, last longer, and be safer. The Falcon 9 rocket was made 
with reusable parts to bring down the cost of human spaceflight. As we 
return American astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars, this 
commercial launch will have marked a new era of space exploration. It 
gives us hope and excitement at a time when both of those are 
desperately needed.
  I thank and commend the countless men and women who have made this 
mission possible, especially my fellow Texans at Johnson Space Center--
the center of human spaceflight for NASA--and then, of course, Elon 
Musk, who founded SpaceX. He said this launch was the result of, 
roughly, 100,000 people's efforts when you added up all of the 
suppliers and everybody involved. When you combine that with the work 
of the brave and brilliant astronauts, physicists, engineers, 
mathematicians, and scientists of all stripes who have helped us to 
have met our space exploration goals over the years, it is clear that 
America's space program's best days are ahead.
  When the final NASA space shuttle crew departed the International 
Space Station in 2011, it left behind a small American flag with 
instructions that it be brought back to Earth by the next crew to be 
launched from the United States. Finally, almost a decade later, it has 
been united with the astronauts who will carry it home.
  On behalf of a proud nation, congratulations to astronauts Bob 
Behnken and Doug Hurley, to everyone at the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, and SpaceX on successfully capturing that flag. 
We welcome you home in the coming months so we can proudly say 
alongside of you: Mission finally accomplished.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my remarks 
be allowed to be concluded in full before the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.