[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7055]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 7055]]

                       PAST AND FUTURE SUCCESSES

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1


minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, last Friday marked the 39th anniversary of 
the first United States space exploration mission.
  On May 5, 1961 Alan B. Shepard, Jr., became the first American space 
explorer when he was rocketed 115 miles above the Earth's surface into 
space.
  This feat proved to the world that the United States had the 
potential to become the winner in this space race.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of us to take a moment to reflect on our past 
accomplishments and to celebrate how far we have come since that 
historic flight in 1961. There are enormous possibilities for future 
progress and for our progress still lying ahead of us.
  The continued advancement of our space program, as well as the 
overall development of new and innovative technologies, demand and 
require our support.
  With the assistance of this Congress, the United States can and will 
remain a world leader in technological development.

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