[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 127-132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 
   SPACE ADMINISTRATION, THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, AND CORNELL 
      UNIVERSITY IN CONDUCTING THE MARS EXPLORATION ROVER MISSION

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 490) recognizing and commending the 
achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Cornell University in conducting the 
Mars Exploration Rover mission, and recognizing the importance of space 
exploration.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 490

       Whereas since its inception in 1958 the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration has achieved 
     extraordinary scientific and technological feats;
       Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 
     exploration of space has taught us to view Earth, ourselves, 
     and the universe in a new way, opening our eyes and minds to 
     great and new possibilities;
       Whereas for over 40 years the National Aeronautics and 
     Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has led the 
     world in the robotic exploration of the solar system, 
     commanding the first United States unmanned missions to the 
     Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, 
     and most recently, the edge of our solar system;
       Whereas the Jet Propulsion Laboratory began the space age 
     for the United States in 1958 with the successful development 
     and launch of the Explorer 1, the first United States 
     satellite;
       Whereas the Jet Propulsion Laboratory conducted the first 
     interplanetary mission, in which the Mariner 2 spacecraft 
     arrived at Venus in December 1962;
       Whereas over 100 years ago Russian astrophysicist 
     Konstantin Tsiolkovsky asked, ``to observe Mars from a 
     distance of several tens of kilometers, to land on its 
     satellite or even on its surface, what could be more 
     fantastic?'';
       Whereas the Jet Propulsion Laboratory fulfilled Konstantin 
     Tsiolkovsky's vision when it navigated the Viking mission, 
     developed the Viking Orbiter, and in 1976 successfully 
     operated the Viking 1 and 2 robot landers on Mars, the first 
     missions to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of 
     another planet;
       Whereas more than 26 years after its launch in 1977, the 
     Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Voyager 1, which unlocked the 
     mysteries of the outer planets of our solar system, continues 
     to expand our understanding of the farthest reaches of our 
     solar system;
       Whereas the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Pathfinder 
     successfully landed on the Martian surface on July 4, 1997, 
     launching the first United States free-roving exploration of 
     another planet and inspiring a new generation of children to 
     dream of the heavens;
       Whereas after a journey of nearly seven years the Jet 
     Propulsion Laboratory's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will enter 
     Saturn's orbit and begin to explore the solar system's second 
     largest planet on July 1, 2004, and subsequently dispatch 
     Huygens, a European-built probe, to the surface of Titan, 
     Saturn's largest moon;
       Whereas the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Stardust 
     spacecraft, having traveled more than 3,000,000,000 miles, 
     will return to Earth on January 15, 2006, with the first 
     extraterrestrial materials from beyond the orbit of the Moon;
       Whereas the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity 
     were launched on June 10, 2003, and July 7, 2003, 
     respectively, on missions to search for evidence indicating 
     that Mars once held conditions hospitable to life;
       Whereas Cornell University has led the development of the 
     five science instruments carried by the two Rovers, is 
     leading a science team consisting of 150 preeminent 
     astronomers and engineers in the science investigation for 
     the Mars mission, and is playing a leading role in both the 
     operation of the two Rovers and the processing and analysis 
     of the images and other data sent back to Earth;
       Whereas the Rovers' landing sites were selected on the 
     basis of intensive study of orbital data collected by the 
     Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Pathfinder missions;
       Whereas Spirit's landing site, formerly known as Gusev 
     Crater and renamed Columbia Memorial Station, is thought to 
     have once contained a large lake and may hold water-laid 
     sediments that preserve important records of the lake 
     environment, the sediments' highlands origins, and the 
     sediments' river trip;
       Whereas Opportunity's landing site, the Meridiani Planum, 
     contains exposed deposits of a mineral that usually forms 
     under watery conditions;
       Whereas each Rover will conduct a three-month scientific 
     study of the geologic records at the sites and evaluate 
     whether those conditions would have been suitable for life;
       Whereas each 384-pound Rover, roughly the size of a golf 
     cart, traveled approximately 300,000,000 miles to reach Mars;
       Whereas the craft carrying each Rover reaches speeds 
     nearing 12,000 miles per hour when entering the Mars 
     atmosphere before decelerating to a vertical stop in just 
     over six minutes;
       Whereas, during the period between entry into the Mars 
     atmosphere and the Rovers' landing, over one dozen intricate 
     operations need to be performed perfectly at just the right 
     point for the Rovers to survive;
       Whereas Spirit successfully completed entry, descent, and 
     landing on January 3, 2004, at 11:35 p.m. eastern standard 
     time, and within hours was beaming photographs of the Martian 
     surface back to Earth;
       Whereas Spirit is to be joined on the surface of Mars by 
     its twin, Opportunity, on January 24, 2004; and
       Whereas the engineers, scientists, and technicians of the 
     Jet Propulsion Laboratory have played a vital role in the 
     Nation's space program and set an example for the rest of us 
     to follow: Now therefore be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the engineers, scientists, and technicians of 
     the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cornell University for 
     their years of effort leading up to the successful entry, 
     descent, landing, and operation of the Mars Exploration Rover 
     Spirit on the Martian surface on January 3, 2004;
       (2) recognizes the importance to the Nation and to humanity 
     of the exploration of space; and
       (3) honors the achievements of the National Aeronautics and 
     Space Administration, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and 
     Cornell University in expanding our comprehension of the 
     universe and fulfilling the human need to explore and 
     understand.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Rohrabacher) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Gordon) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H. Res. 490, the resolution now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I would 
consume.
  Last week, Mr. Speaker, President Bush unveiled our administration's 
vision for space exploration, including humans returning to the moon 
and eventually traveling on to Mars. The President's plan envisions a 
working relationship between both man and machine in charting new 
pathways for exploring the solar system.

[[Page 128]]

  On January 3, we all witnessed a new chapter in America's continuing 
space experience with the success and the landing of the Spirit on the 
martian surface. The creative and hardworking professionals at the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and at Cornell 
University at Ithaca, New York, have once again hit the bull's eye 
after a 300-million-mile trip.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, I rise in 
support of the gentleman from California's (Mr. Dreier) resolution, H. 
Res. 490, to honor NASA and those working on this exciting mission. 
Over the course of my tenure as chairman, I am particularly pleased 
that our Members have fought hard on a bipartisan basis to ensure the 
exploration of neighboring planets and to make the investment in basic 
research that is so necessary for human progress in the area of 
technology.
  In the past, JPL has managed such spectacular missions as the Ulysses 
Solar Polar mission and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and the 
Viking Landers on Mars, and like so many other missions before them, 
Spirit, and soon its partner Opportunity, will also dramatically 
increase the scientific knowledge available to those of us on earth, 
scientific knowledge that will be put to good use for the benefit of 
all people.
  The collaboration between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cornell 
University, in enabling Spirit to deliver spectacular images of the 
martian landscape, is exemplary of the teamwork among public and 
private sectors and academia. I consider the engineers, technicians and 
scientists at JPL and Cornell to be space pioneers of the finest 
tradition and heroes of technology.
  Indeed, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) also is to be 
commended for his leadership in spearheading this resolution before us 
today. We all share the gentleman from California's (Mr. Dreier) desire 
to recognize the contributions being made in furthering our knowledge 
of the heavens. This is a fine tribute to the extraordinary scientific 
and technological accomplishments of the Nation's scientific community.
  In closing, I applaud our administration's decision in taking bold 
steps in renewing our commitment to space exploration. I am confident 
that the dedicated men and women of our space program will be in the 
forefront of this Nation's efforts in taming new frontiers and 
expanding human knowledge and in leading human progress.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The House today has the pleasant task of congratulating the Mars 
Exploration Rover team for their success in landing the Spirit Rover on 
Mars on January 3. The pictures being returned from the surface of Mars 
reminds us of the excitement that comes from seeing new places for the 
first time and wondering what we will learn from being there.
  NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cornell University can be 
proud of what has been accomplished, and I am pleased to be a cosponsor 
of this resolution offered here by the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules, my 
friend, who demonstrated today the power of the Committee on Rules 
chairman by expediting this motion. I compliment him for that, as well 
as the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) who represents several of 
the employees there at JPL.
  The premier position of the United States in planetary exploration 
owes much to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Astronomy textbooks 
after 1980 had to be rewritten in the aftermath of the epic Voyager 
mission, and spacecraft developed by JPL have taken us to all of the 
planets except for Pluto.

                              {time}  1100

  But Mars has been a prime target for robotic exploration since the 
1960s. There have been both triumphs and setbacks in that exploration 
as NASA has attempted ever more ambitious missions. The images have 
been awe-inspiring. For example, Mariner 9 showed us mountains taller 
than Everest and the immense Valley of the Mariners, a canyon deeper 
and longer than our own Grand Canyon.
  We have learned much from our spacecraft in orbit around Mars, but 
there is no substitute for being on the surface. The Spirit rover 
builds on the experience gained from the Viking missions of the mid-
1970s as well as from Sojourner, the rover that accompanied Mars 
Pathfinder to the Red Planet in 1997. This time, however, we are going 
to visit a lot more of the Martian neighborhood.
  The Nation's future in space has been much on my mind since the 
terrible day almost a year ago when the Space Shuttle Columbia did not 
make it home. The critical issue we have to address is how best to use 
human skills and robotic capacities in NASA's future programs. It was 
robotic Ranger and Lunar Orbiter spacecraft that prepared the way to 
the Moon for Armstrong and Aldrin, and it will be Spirit and its 
successors that will draw the maps future Martian explorers will carry.
  Mr. Speaker, JPL has provided NASA some of its proudest moments, and 
today we salute its latest accomplishment. I am pleased to join in the 
resolution proposed by the gentleman from California and recommend its 
adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), chairman of the full 
Committee on Science.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in support of the resolution 
offered by my colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on 
Rules, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier); and I thank him for 
working with me to ensure that the resolution recognizes the 
contributions of Cornell University in upstate New York. One of the 
outstanding attributes of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the way it 
works with academic and private-sector scientists at universities 
throughout the United States, and indeed the entire world. Efforts like 
the current mission to Mars are truly team efforts in which our entire 
planet reaches out to other worlds.
  We are already seeing the results of that teamwork with the stunning 
images of the Martian surface that the aptly named Recovery Spirit is 
beaming back to Earth. Now Spirit is beginning to examine a rock called 
Adirondack, named after a well-known feature of the upstate New York 
landscape. We look forward to the other rover, Opportunity, touching 
down successfully next week and beginning to explore another side of 
Mars.
  The details of the Mars mission are at once mundane and other-
worldly, simple to recite, yet mind-boggling to contemplate. Each of 
these Rovers weighs about 400 pounds and is about the size of a golf 
cart. Each is fitted with sensitive scientific equipment designed to 
survey the geology of Mars and help an international team of 150 
scientists back here on Earth determine whether water was ever a part 
of the Martian landscape and whether the planet could once have 
supported life.
  This team of extraordinarily dedicated scientists is led by Dr. 
Steven Squyers of Cornell University. Dr. Squyers and his team 
developed the scientific instruments the rover missions carried. They 
operate them by remote control from over 15 million miles away here on 
Earth, and they are the chief investigators who will sift through the 
voluminous streams of data that the Rovers beam back to us daily.
  The faculty and students at Cornell who are participating in this 
wondrous mission of discovery are clearly taking delight in their 
historic opportunity, and we are blessed to have the benefit of their 
years of hard work and dedication. I congratulate them and the 
scientists and engineers at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 
their stunning success in the rover missions.
  Even though the work on the Martian surface has just begun, the team

[[Page 129]]

at JPL and Cornell University have already provided us with priceless 
inspiration and new ways to see our universe. We look forward with 
great anticipation to sharing their achievements in the coming days and 
years.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, for thousands of years people have looked to the heavens 
and wondered what was up there, what were the dots of light scattered 
on the hemisphere of the night sky, what is our place in all of this.
  The Moon, the planets, and the stars became part of ancient 
religions. Heroes were immortalized as constellations. Planets, whose 
irregular movements and brightness set them apart from the stars, were 
named after gods. Celestial events foretold the death of kings; they 
augured victory in war.
  But for our ancestors, the changing sky also had a practical effect. 
For millennia, the movements of the Moon and stars guided the rhythms 
of human life; they told people when to plant and when to harvest. Wars 
were planned based on the phases of the Moon.
  Even as they wondered, planted, harvested, and fought in keeping with 
the seasons, people dreamed of visiting these other worlds, of 
expanding humanity's realm, of satisfying the human yearning to 
explore. The telescope, which Galileo first turned to the heavens in 
1609, changed our view of the cosmos. The myriad points of light began 
to resolve themselves into planets with moons, galaxies, nebulae, and 
clusters of stars. The universe, which had seemed static, was revealed 
as a place of infinite distance and incredible dynamism. Our view of 
space and of ourselves was changed forever.
  It would be another 450 years before human beings could begin to take 
our first forays from the protective cocoon of the Earth. Throughout 
that time, telescopes grew larger and more powerful; astronomers 
learned more about our solar system, our galaxy, and the tens of 
millions of other galaxies throughout the universe. Still, even as the 
Moon and our nearby planetary neighbors tantalized us, they seemed 
hopelessly out of reach.
  With the development of large rockets after World War II, humans were 
finally able to escape the Earth's gravity and venture into space. 
During the past half century, from the grapefruit-sized Explorer I, 
which was America's first satellite, to the International Space Station 
now being built 200 miles above us, we have begun to learn to operate 
in the harsh environs of space.
  Throughout its existence, America's space program has operated on 
dual tracks. On the one hand, we have stressed human space flight, 
which is costly, often dangerous. With the exception of Apollo lunar 
landing missions, humans have not ventured beyond the relative safety 
of low-Earth orbit. The other track we have followed is the robotic 
exploration of our solar system, using spacecraft that are impervious 
to the harsh conditions of space and unaffected by the enormous 
distances necessary to explore our planetary neighbors.
  Our unmanned space probes, from the Ranger and Surveyor craft that 
paved the way for Apollo, to the Voyager spacecraft that explored the 
outer planets and are still continuing to send back data even as they 
leave the solar system, have increased our comprehension beyond 
anything even contemplated half a century ago.
  On Mars, we have witnessed dust storms on Olympus Mons, the largest 
mountain in our solar system. We have peered through Venus' clouds at 
its broiling surface. We have discovered new moons and ring systems 
around the outer planets. And as we speak, a small spacecraft bearing 
dust from a comet is zooming back towards the Earth and will parachute 
into Utah on January 15, 2006.
  This summer, the Cassini spacecraft will enter the orbit of Saturn 
and will dispatch a small probe called Huygens to explore the 
atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute 
of Technology, has designed, built, and controlled all of these 
programs. JPL has been the pioneer of our exploration of the solar 
system from the beginning of our space program. Earlier I mentioned 
JPL's Explorer I, America's first satellite. At the time it was 
launched, the United States has fallen behind the Soviet Union in the 
space race, and several other attempts at getting an American Sputnik 
into orbit had ended in fiery explosions on the launch pad. Not only 
did Explorer I salvage our pride, but the tiny satellite discovered the 
Van Allen radiation belts that circle the Earth.
  Every American space probe that has visited another planet was 
managed by JPL. Through the wonders of technology, we have zoomed by 
Jupiter with Voyager, witnessed a Martian sunset with Viking, and 
rolled across the surface of Mars with Sojourner.
  Whom do we have to thank for unlocking the wonders of our solar 
system, for providing brilliant three- dimensional images of the 
Martian surface, and for making us desire even great discoveries? For 
this, we must thank the women and men of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
in California. Each day, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Elachi, 
the employees of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory work tirelessly to 
develop and manage America's robotic exploration of space.
  Mr. Speaker, they have done it again. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
has brought America back to Mars. I am proud to join with my 
distinguished colleague and neighbor, the chairman of the Committee on 
Rules, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), in introducing this 
resolution honoring the men and women of NASA, and especially the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, whose years of effort paid off so spectacularly 
when the Mars exploration rover Spirit landed on January 3.
  Mr. Speaker, led by principal investigator, Steve Squyres, Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory employees like Peter Theisinger, Richard Cook, 
Rob Manning, Jennifer Trosper, Mark Adler, Jim Erickson, Matt Wallace, 
Joy Crisp, Joel Krajewski, Jason Willis, Jim Donaldson, and Jan Chodas 
have worked around the clock since Spirit's arrival on Mars.
  Spirit, the first of JPL's rovers to land on Mars, and Spirit's twin, 
Opportunity, which is scheduled to touchdown on January 24, will 
conduct a 3-month scientific study to evaluate whether conditions at 
one time have been suitable for life on Mars. Equipped with cameras, 
spectrometers, and a grinder, these robotic explorers are poised to 
unlock the mysteries of Mars. The breadth of their discoveries is yet 
unknown, but our confidence in their abilities and the ability of the 
scientists at JPL, who now live not according to the cycles of their 
fellow Earthlings but in keeping with the Martian day, is sky high.
  Mr. Speaker, Spirit's landing is another milestone in our exploration 
of the solar system. Let us take a moment to reflect on this occasion 
and honor those who made it possible. For tomorrow. Our thirst is 
renewed and our exploration continues.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Dreier), and I might add the Member in this body 
who represents JPL in California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding me this time, 
and I want to rise and join my colleagues, the distinguished chairman 
of the Committee on Science, the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Boehlert), who very appropriately recognized the important contribution 
that Cornell University has made in this effort. And I should say that, 
even though I have been out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La 
Canada/ Flintridge, the people in that town like to say that, as well 
as Pasadena. Pasadena and La Canada/Flintridge both claim the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory. My friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Schiff), used to represent La Canada/Flintridge. He represents the 
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and I am privileged to 
actually represent the facility of the Jet

[[Page 130]]

Propulsion Laboratory, which is in La Canada/Flintridge.
  But as I am at JPL, I have to say to my friend from New York that I 
have regularly seen the pennants of Cornell University hanging in that 
facility. So Cornell has a very great presence; and as the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Boehlert) said, Dr. Steven Squyers, who was the 
principal investigator, has in fact played a big role in recognizing 
the importance of Cornell to this project.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), my colleague, I am 
happy to say was with us the night we were able to get images back, the 
night after the Mars exploratory rover Spirit landed, and has been a 
real visionary when it comes to the issue of space exploration. I also 
want to join in congratulating the former member of the Committee on 
Rules, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), who is now, I am 
happy to say, the ranking minority member of not only the subcommittee 
that the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) chairs but of the 
full Committee on Science; and of course my friend, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Schiff), who, as I said, did represent JPL and still 
continues with a very strong dedication to the science program and this 
great vision that is out there.

                              {time}  1115

  The gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) gave a great outline of 
the history of the fascination that we as humans have had for outer 
space. I think that as we look at where we are going, it is amazing to 
see this debate which is raging on right now. I am somewhat saddened to 
hear some of my colleagues refer to the vision that the President set 
forth in his speech before the employees of NASA a week or so ago as 
being a joke. I know there are a lot of people who are very cynical 
about this whole notion of vigorously pursuing the goal of further 
pursuit of exploration in space, the Moon and Mars in particular.
  The reason I am discouraged about it is that I regularly look now 
into the eyes of young children who have this great fascination as they 
look towards the challenge of space exploration. One of the things that 
is particularly encouraging for me is that that same kind of 
fascination exists among many Members of Congress, not all but many 
Members of Congress, and it also exists today among every single one of 
those people who were named by the gentleman from California. Charles 
Elachi and the great team, Steve Squyres and Pete Theisinger and all 
those whom the gentleman from California mentioned continue to have 
that same fascination and they also have this amazing intellectual 
curiosity which has played such a big role in pursuing this.
  Mr. Speaker, it is impossible for us to describe in words the kind of 
excitement that has gone into this. The gentleman from California (Mr. 
Schiff) and I have ridden the roller coaster ride. Four years ago last 
month, we saw the failure of the Mars polar lander. I had the 
opportunity to wait night after night at JPL to try and get some kind 
of message of a word back. Unfortunately we failed. But I am so often 
reminded of the words of Dr. Ed Stone, who was the predecessor of 
Director Charles Elachi, who said to me 4 years ago, this past month, 
``David, if we don't take risks, we won't learn anything.''
  That is really what this is all about, taking risks. As we rapidly 
approach the first anniversary of the tragic loss of those lives in the 
space shuttle Challenger, we can think about those seven men and women 
who lost their lives a year ago as we look at the great success that we 
are now experiencing with the Mars exploratory rover program. We have 
seen the successful landing and messaging coming back from Spirit. This 
coming weekend, I know my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Schiff) will be in at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as we see what I 
know we all hope and pray will be the same kind of success as we get 
messages back after seeing the successful landing on another part of 
the planet of the Mars exploratory rover named Opportunity. Spirit and 
Opportunity. The names of the two rovers in many ways is exactly what 
this is all about.
  There is one name of someone who was not mentioned by my friend, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), who I would like to point to as 
an individual who actually played a role in the first Viking program 
nearly 3 decades ago, in 1975 and 1976. He is an individual who was 
probably the youngest person who was involved in that program 30 years 
ago, and today he is probably, if not the oldest, one of the oldest 
involved in the Mars exploratory rover program. His name is Gentry Lee. 
He has a fascinating outline of what it has been like going from 1975 
all the way up to today.
  Mr. Speaker, it is so clear that we have limitless opportunities as 
we look at space exploration. The kinds of tangible evidence that we 
have seen improving our quality of life continues to go on and on and 
we still do not know what kinds of opportunities we will find. One of 
the naysayers was on television the other day. He said in criticizing 
this program, if we had Mars covered with gold and we went to Mars to 
get this gold and bring it back, it would cost more to do that than the 
value of the gold itself. When we look at the imaging technology that 
has been created with MRIs, when we look at the cellular technology and 
the satellite telephones and the tremendous advances that have been 
made technologically not only in the health area but in the area of 
communications and security, we have transcended the cost of that gold, 
the value of that gold with what it is that we are doing here.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I simply want to congratulate all of my 
colleagues who have been involved in this effort and I want to thank 
all who have joined as cosponsors of this resolution. I also want to 
include the appropriations subcommittee members who have been so 
important in this effort too, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) 
and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan) who have been very 
helpful and have joined as cosponsors. I thank again my colleague from 
Huntington Beach for his leadership and his continued vision, and I 
hope very much that we are able to, in a bipartisan way, pursue the 
goals that have been set forth with President Bush's very dynamic plans 
for space exploration.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Smith), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Research.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank Chairman 
Dreier, certainly Chairman Rohrabacher and the rest of the cosponsors 
of the bill. Let me also thank the scientists at JPL, at Cal Tech, at 
Cornell that not only have a tremendous amount of knowledge but a 
tremendous amount of dedication to move ahead on these ventures, often 
at the sacrifice of a lot of their personal time.
  My family has been very involved in JPL. On the 4th, two of my 
daughters, Stacia Smith and Juliana Bellinger, were at JPL, I like to 
think, representing me on January 4 at the successful landing. My son 
did his engineering degree at Cornell and my daughter and her husband, 
Elizabeth and Fred Burnette, worked at JPL for 8 years. Elizabeth 
studied physics at Cornell. Just the accomplishments and the excitement 
that it has brought to this country over the years, somehow it would be 
nice to renew that kind of dedication and achievement. As chairman of 
the Subcommittee on Research, research is going to be the key to our 
future economy, so developing the kind of products that people around 
the world want to buy and developing the ways to produce those products 
at a competitive cost is part of the key to our continued economic 
success.
  In conclusion, my very great compliments to the scientists and the 
management at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and again my thanks to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the new ranking member of 
the

[[Page 131]]

committee for his kindnesses and generosity. That bodes well for the 
future.
  Science is fun. I can vouch for that as someone who has been a 
practicing scientist for over 2 decades. Science is also interesting. 
And science is rewarding. All of that is epitomized by the success of 
the rover that is currently on Mars transmitting pictures to us and 
also scientific data and information to us. I am very pleased to join 
in congratulating the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and their scientists 
for the successful landing and operation of the rover Spirit on Mars. 
For over 40 years, the dedicated scientists at JPL have built cutting-
edge robotic explorers that have investigated other planets and the far 
reaches of our solar system and even beyond. These missions have opened 
windows to the universe, provided us with invaluable scientific 
information and inspired generations of scientists and engineers.
  Just 2 months ago, I was privileged to lead a group of science 
committee members on a tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. That tour 
included an exciting meeting with Dr. Daniel McCleese, who is the chief 
scientist and Dr. Peter Theisinger, the project manager for the Mars 
exploration project. Their enthusiasm and devotion to this work was 
clearly evident during our discussion, and it epitomizes the excitement 
that the scientists at JPL have. They worked endless hours and I am 
sure they are so interested and excited in their work that they would 
be willing to do that work without pay if they had some other means of 
putting food on the table.
  Science is fun, as I said, and it is very clear that this grand 
experiment on Mars is exciting and interesting to our students, our 
children at our elementary and secondary schools. That is extremely 
important, because we do not have enough Americans studying science and 
engineering. Our engineering enrollments in American universities have 
steadily declined in the last 20 years. One of the reasons is that 
children in our schools are not excited enough about science. I want to 
thank JPL and NASA for their efforts to stimulate the excitement of the 
students in the schools and help generate a new generation of 
scientists and engineers.
  I certainly want to congratulate JPL and all its partners on this 
latest success in landing the rover Spirit on Mars. It is truly moving 
to see the years of devoted scientific work succeed in this effort.
  As I saw the first pictures coming back, tears welled in my eyes at 
the tremendous advancements in science that we are seeing. This 
experiment also epitomizes what we must do if we are to meet the 
President's vision. We cannot just pop humans in a space capsule and 
send them off to Mars. There is an incredible amount of groundwork to 
be done and the Spirit is one example of the type of work that we have 
to do if we are going to explore our planetary systems. These 
experiments are far, far less expensive than sending a human being to 
Mars and we will have, I would estimate, at least 20 and perhaps even 
40 years of such experiments before we are ready to tackle the very 
difficult and expensive task of sending a human to another planet.
  I congratulate once again the JPL crew for their work, and not only 
JPL, but all of NASA and all the scientific community in the United 
States. The scientists and engineers continue doing this work in 
generally anonymity. The great excitement we see them exhibiting as 
they succeed in their experiments is typical of what goes on in 
laboratories across the United States, and in fact, across the world, 
but which we, as laymen, never tend to see. Science is a great 
profession. It is fun, it is interesting, but especially it is 
important to the human spirit and important to the success of our 
Nation and the improvement of the prosperity and the general knowledge 
of this country. Thank you, JPL.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, let me congratulate the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon). He has been a terrific partner in these 
efforts that we have gone through in these last 5 years. To the degree 
that our country has had successful space missions and is developing 
technologies that will help us on Earth, it has a lot to do with the 
bipartisan spirit that we have had in our subcommittee and the great 
and hard work and responsible leadership that the gentleman from 
Tennessee has provided. He is moving up now. He will be missed.
  The bipartisan spirit I talk about is so evident in everything that 
we do in this subcommittee. Let me note that there are no Democrats and 
Republicans, there are Americans in our subcommittee. We work together 
as such. We all believe that if America is to be a prosperous country, 
if our people are to live good lives and see our standard of living 
increase for average Americans, that we must remain a major power in 
space, we must develop the technologies and the science that is 
necessary to uplift humankind into the cosmos.

                              {time}  1130

  If America is to remain at peace, if we are to live in peace, we must 
be a leading space power. When we meet the challenges of terrorism or 
the challenges of gangsters throughout the world, gangster regimes that 
would kill our people, that would harm us, that would threaten the 
stability and peace of the world, it is our technological edge that 
gives us the ability to thwart these threats. If we were not the number 
one power in space and instead that mantle would shift over to some 
despot or gangster regime or antidemocratic regime, for example, on the 
mainland of China where they still have the world's worst human rights 
abusers who are now making investments in space technology, we would 
not be safe and secure on this planet. The free people on this planet 
and the American people could not live in peace and security if despots 
held the high ground, which is space and space technology.
  And, finally, if we are to remain a free people, if the United States 
and America is to remain free, which is our number one value, after 
all, that unites all Americans, we Americans of every race and every 
religion and every ethnic background are united by a concept of liberty 
and justice for all which we pledge to our Flag, but if we are to 
remain free and have liberty and justice for all, we must be the 
technological leaders in space because we must remain the society that 
leads humankind to conquer new frontiers. If we lose that part of the 
American character that pushes back the frontier and that chooses to 
lead mankind into places where it has not gone before and to explore 
that which has not been explored, if we lose that aspect of our 
character, we will not remain a free people for long.
  So what we are doing when it comes to these great achievements like 
we are applauding today, we are fulfilling our mission that was set out 
over 200 years ago by our Founding Fathers to lead humankind into a 
better world and perhaps into the cosmos.
  I thank my colleagues for the support they are giving to America's 
space program. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and my 
friends on the other side of the aisle for being bipartisan and 
cooperative and all of us for being the type of Americans necessary to 
maintain that struggle that started with our Founding Fathers over 200 
years ago. God bless them.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 490.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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