[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING THE TITAN ROCKET

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
service of those individuals that developed and built on an exemplarily 
piece of American ingenuity and technological achievement, the Titan 
rocket.
  For nearly fifty years the Titan rocket system has been serving this 
country, first as a multi-stage intercontinental ballistic missile 
system, and second as a launch vehicle for satellites, and space probes 
bound for the far reaches of our solar system.
  In 1955 Martin Marietta, now Lockheed Martin, was awarded a contract 
by the Air Force to build an intercontinental ballistic missile that 
became known as Titan I. Since then, the people of Lockheed Martin have 
produced successive generations of Titan rockets to serve national 
needs.
  On Wednesday, October 19, 2005, the last Titan rocket was 
successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. From 
its early beginnings as an intercontinental ballistic missile, to its 
recent role as a launch vehicle for the satellites of the U.S. National 
Reconnaissance Office, the Titan rocket has played a vital role in the 
security of our Nation.
  The Titan family of rockets also played a pivotal role in the 
Nation's space program, allowing the early Gemini astronauts to break 
free of the earth's gravitational hold and launching many deep space 
probes that have furthered understanding of our solar system.
  Mr. Speaker, the longevity of the Titan's service is a testament to 
the quality of the employees at Lockheed Martin. Thousands of workers 
have had a hand in producing the rockets, including many second 
generation family members located in my district. To honor their 
dedication and superb accomplishments I rise to recognize the fifty 
years of service the Titan rockets and the employees that built them 
have given our Nation.