[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18211]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        COMMENDING THE LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE ``DISCOVERY''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JEB HENSARLING

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 2005

  Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today is a truly momentous day in the 
history of our space program. The liftoff of the Space Shuttle 
Discovery is significant achievement for the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration (NASA). It is also a solemn tribute to the 
astronauts lost in last shuttle mission and the East Texans who helped 
in the wake of that tragedy.
  Two years ago, on a quiet Saturday morning, millions of Americans 
witnessed the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven 
heroic crewmembers in the skies over East Texas. While we will never be 
able to bring back the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia, I am pleased to 
see our space program reaching for the stars once more by launching the 
first shuttle since that terrible disaster.
  The crew of the Discovery, and their support team at NASA, have been 
working hard to get our shuttle program back on track. To increase the 
safety of the crew, the scientists at NASA have made multiple 
improvements on the shuttle. The Columbia accident investigation board 
made 15 recommendations that have been implemented for this flight, as 
well as 29 other improvements to launch, orbit, and reentry procedures. 
Commander Eileen Collins and her crew, James Kelly, Andrew Thomas, 
Wendy Lawrence, Charles Camarda, Stephen Robinson, and Soichi Noguchi 
are piloting the safest, most sophisticated, and most reliable 
spacecraft ever built.
  This successful lift off, NASA's 114th shuttle mission, is a 
tremendous event. It is important that we remember the dangerous nature 
of space flight and exploration. As President Ronald Reagan said after 
the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, ``We've grown used to the 
idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun.''
  This week, we congratulate the scientists and technicians who are 
upholding the greatest traditions of America's space program. We 
recognize the spirit and courage of the space shuttle's crew. We thank 
the countless number of East Texans that helped in the search for 
evidence and answers in the wake of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. 
And finally, we honor the memory of those brave men and women who have 
gone before in the name of exploration and in the quest for discovery.

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