[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15690]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO ASTRONAUTS WALZ AND BURSCH OF ISS EXPEDITION 4

 Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
pay tribute to Astronauts Colonel Carl E. Walz and Captain Daniel W. 
Bursch for their significant contributions and record-setting 
accomplishments as part of the International Space Station's Expedition 
4 Crew.
  Astronauts Walz, Bursch, and Expedition Commander and Russian 
cosmonaut Yuri Ivanovich Onufrienko departed from Kennedy Space Flight 
Center on December 5, 2001, for what became a 6\1/2\ month stay aboard 
the International Space Station. The crew of three spent 196 days in 
space, with Carl Walz and Dan Bursch establishing a new U.S. space 
flight endurance record. The previous U.S. record belonged to Astronaut 
Shannon Lucid, who spent 188 continuous days in space aboard the 
Russian Mir Space Station. With four previous flights and his 
Expedition 4 mission, Astronaut Walz also established a new U.S. record 
for the most days in space, with a total of 231 days, surpassing Dr. 
Shannon Lucid's record of 223 days.
  We look to our Nation's space program to improve life here on Earth 
and explore the unknown. We also look toward the future, to the time 
when we will extend life beyond the bounds of Earth. On February 20, 
2002, while aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 4 
crew spoke with Ohio's former Senator and NASA pioneer, John Glenn, who 
was the first American to orbit the Earth 40 years ago.
  We have come a long way in the U.S. space program, and our future 
discoveries are limited only by our imagination and commitment. We must 
give special recognition to our Astronauts whose personal and 
professional commitment to live and work in space continues to break 
barriers and thresholds.
  While on the International Space Station, in addition to maintaining, 
operating and performing research experiments, the Expedition 4 crew 
installed the S-zero truss segment. The S-zero truss forms the backbone 
of the Station which will eventually hold the four solar array 
``wings'' of the U.S. segment. The crew tested the new Quest Airlock 
and performed the first spacewalk from it without the Space Shuttle 
present. The crew also was the first to use the Space Station Robotic 
Arm as a ``cherry picker,'' maneuvering space walkers ``flying'' on the 
end of the arm during spacewalks.
  After an extended, U.S. record-setting stay on the International 
Space Station, the crew returned to Earth with Shuttle Endeavor, 
landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 19, 2002.
  Astronaut Carl E. Walz, a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, was born in 
Cleveland, OH. He and his wife, the former Pamela J. Glady, have two 
children. Walz has received numerous Distinguished Service medals, 
including the Defense Superior Service Medal, three NASA Space Flight 
Medals, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
  Astronaut Daniel W. Bursch, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and 
a Captain in the U.S. Navy, considers Vestal, NY to be his hometown. He 
and his wife, the former Roni J. Patterson, have four children. Captain 
Bursch also has received recognition for distinguished service, 
including the Defense Superior Service Medal and NASA Space Flight 
Medals. Bursch has over 3,100 flight hours in more than 35 different 
aircraft and has logged a noteworthy 227 days in space.
  On behalf of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I thank 
astronauts Carl Walz and Dan Bursch for their courage, commitment and 
contributions in service to the United States of America.

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