[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING THE MOJAVE AIR AND SPACE PORT ON ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an 
airport in my community that has been at the forefront of aerospace 
milestones. Mojave Air and Space Port, located in Mojave, California, 
is celebrating 75 years of service and cutting edge innovation this 
upcoming September 18, 2010.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port has a unique history. Starting as a 
rural airstrip in 1935, the Mojave Airport provided access to the local 
gold and silver mining industry. After seven years of serving the local 
mining industry, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) shifted the focus of the 
airport and turned it into the Marine Corps Auxiliary Station (MCAAS) 
Mojave in 1942. In 1946, MCAAS Mojave was converted into a U.S. Navy 
airfield. In 1951, the USMC reopened MCAAS Mojave as an auxiliary 
field, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. In 1961, Kern County acquired 
the airport, and in 1972, and the East Kern Airport District was formed 
to direct the airport.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port has three core focuses: flight testing, 
space industry development, and aircraft heavy maintenance and storage. 
With its convenient location close to Edwards Air Force Base, the 
Mojave Air and Space Port has been a leader in flight testing 
activities for over 30 years. Beginning in the late 1990s, the Mojave 
Air and Space Port became a hub for small companies seeking a place to 
develop space flight technologies, with the first flight tests starting 
in 1999. In 2004, it was the first spaceport certified by the Federal 
Aviation Administration to be licensed for horizontal launches of 
reusable launch vehicles in the United States.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port is the home to the Rutan Model 76 
Voyager aircraft, designed by Burt Rutan and piloted by his brother 
Dick Rutan, where they set a record-breaking flight around the world 
without stopping to refuel in 1986. Model 281 Proteus, a tandem-wing 
high-endurance aircraft designed by Burt and tested at the Mojave Air 
and Space Port, holds several altitude records.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port is also home to SpaceShipOne. It is the 
first, and so far only, privately built, flown, and funded aircraft to 
launch and enter a man into space in June of 2004. This feat was 
acknowledged with the Ansari X Prize, and the 2004 Collier Trophy later 
that year, awarded by the National Aeronautic Association. Today, 
SpaceShipOne is displayed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space 
Museum's ``Milestones of Flight'' gallery in Washington, D.C. 
SpaceShipTwo is now in development and will continue to transform the 
commercial space industry.
  Today, the Mojave Air and Space Port occupies about 3,300 acres and 
serves as a world renowned flight resource center. The airport is home 
to over 40 companies, ranging from small industrial to highly advanced 
aeronautical design firms. XCOR is a small business that is building a 
spacecraft to take individuals to space. Recently, NASA awarded funding 
to tenant Masten Space Systems through the NASA Commercial Reusable 
Suborbital Research Program to finance the development and testing of 
the Xaero vehicle which will make four flights from the Mojave Air and 
Space Port to demonstrate reusable launch and small payloads going to 
near-space.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port continues to break new ground and 
expand its facilities as it recently extended its largest runway to 
12,500 feet and integrated a new commercial development taxiway system. 
The Mojave Air and Space Port not only is known for its revolutionary 
air and space technology, but it also boasts an extensive resume in 
film production. The airport has been the host to movies, television 
shows, commercials and music videos.
  Today, the Mojave Air and Space Port is run and supported by the 
leadership of the East Kern Airport District. The East Kern Airport 
District encourages entrepreneurship and flourishes, existing by its 
mission statement to, ``Foster and maintain our recognized aerospace 
presence with a principle focus as the world's premier civilian 
aerospace test center while seeking compatibly diverse business and 
industry.'' The Mojave Air and Space Port is under the forward-thinking 
leadership of the East Kern Airport District Board Members Jim 
Balentine, JoAnn Painter, Marie Walker, Dick Rutan, and Cathy Hansen 
and General Manager, Stuart Witt, along with his team of dedicated 
individuals.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port is also home to the Intermediate Space 
Challenge. Through this program, the Mojave Air and Space Port opens 
its facility to young students in 4th, 5th and 6th grade, enabling them 
to work together in a team environment to choose a team name, create 
team banners, craft an essay, and develop and use their math and 
science skills to construct and launch a small rocket under appropriate 
supervision. Along with involving the community in this revolutionary 
program, the Mojave Air and Space Port also encourages teachers and 
administrators across the country to implement similar programs that 
stimulate students and infuse them with a love of engineering, 
mathematics, and science.
  The Mojave Air and Space Port has given the community 75 years of 
exceptional service. It is a keystone of our aerospace achievements not 
only in California but around the nation and throughout the world. I 
applaud the Mojave Air and Space Port for its innovative research and 
its service as a public airport and will continue to support its place 
in America's air and space development for years to come.

                          ____________________