[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as a 12-year member of the 
House Science Committee and a resident in Houston, Texas, I too rise to 
celebrate and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11.
  This coming Friday, the NASA community and all of Houston will join 
in a splashdown celebrating the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 at Space 
Center Houston.
  Madam Speaker, I cannot tell you the great excitement in our 
community, because NASA has been a real anchor both economically, but 
really one of great pride, even though we realize it is a national 
treasure.
  The words of a young President John F. Kennedy in his May 25, 1961, 
speech to Congress rings clear in our ears because he challenged 
America. He challenged those who had the ability to dream and gave them 
the goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to 
Earth.
  The Apollo 11 program was designed to achieve the goal established by 
President Kennedy, by sending a crew of three astronauts to the Moon 
and returning them safely, but he didn't realize the drama and the 
excitement and the inspiration that that would provide. He did not 
realize what it would mean when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong and 
Michael Collins took flight in Apollo 11. He did not realize that when 
the crew of Apollo 11 launched into space aboard a Saturn V rocket on 
July 16, 1969, was almost equal to, I guess, the discovery of this 
Nation.
  And then on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin 
successfully piloted the Eagle lunar module to the surface of the Moon. 
And who can forget ``The Eagle has landed.'' It was exciting for all of 
us who really believed in the greatness of America, but also the peace 
that America generated.
  And then on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong took his first step on 
the Moon, he became the first person to walk on the surface of another 
celestial body. We know his famous words that, in fact, as I paraphrase 
them, one step for man and one giant step for mankind.
  And so we recognize how important it is to celebrate 40 years, 
because we want there to be another 40 years of NASA, to recognize the 
economic arm that it presents, to recognize the value of the 
inquisitiveness of scientists, mathematicians, doctors, those who are 
engaged in the business of exploration and human challenges.
  Astronauts have come from all walks of life. They've happened to be 
my neighbors. We've lost some in Columbia and Challenger. We mourn for 
their families, but we celebrate their families and thank them for 
their sacrifice because we recognize that this is a time that we are 
now to pay tribute to them by continuing our work with NASA.
  How excited we are to have retired General Charles Bolden to be the 
new NASA administrator, a former astronaut, the first African American, 
a Houstonian in the years that he lived there.
  And so we celebrate and hope that this inspiration goes into the 
nooks and crannies of prekindergarten, kindergarten, primary, secondary 
education, college, graduate school. Let us send forth more astronauts, 
chemists, physicists, biologists, doctors, mechanical engineers, 
engineers, all of the people that can help us discover a peaceful way 
to live in this wonderful universe. That's what Apollo 11 was all 
about. Showing us that it is a place of peace, the Moon, that we can 
explore, we can find out information, we can make lives better for 
Americans and others around the world.
  I always believed in the international space station. As a member of 
the Science Committee, I was able to craft legislation to create a 
safety scheme, if you will, to ensure that the international space 
station is safe. We see now that there are constant checks and constant 
emphasis on ensuring the safety of this particular large building in 
space, if you will, the size of large football fields. We know that 
that is important, even to the extent of fixing a toilet.
  So, Madam Speaker, I rise to support and to salute Buzz Aldrin, the 
lunar module pilot; Michael Collins, the command module pilot; and Neil 
Armstrong, the mission commander, who understood what it was to make 
this giant step.
  His other words as well, as we came in peace for all of mankind, that 
should be the mantra, the standard, the medal, if you will, the heart 
of NASA as we explore: We come in peace for all of mankind.

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