[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-9. A concurrent resolution adopted by the General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio requesting the National Museum 
     of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force 
     Base be selected to display one of the space shuttle orbiters 
     at the conclusion of the space shuttle program; to the 
     Committee on Armed Services.

                   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 2

       Whereas, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
     (NASA) intends to select a limited number of museums for the 
     display of the space shuttle orbiters that will be retired at 
     the conclusion of the space shuttle program. The National 
     Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air 
     Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, would be an excellent choice 
     for the display of a space shuttle orbiter; and
       Whereas, the Museum, the world's oldest and largest museum 
     of aviation, is the depository for the Air Force's National 
     Historical Collection and features more than 400 aerospace 
     vehicles, including Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space 
     capsules. With 1.3 million visitors each year, the Museum is 
     the most visited free tourist destination in Ohio and is one 
     of the most visited in the country; and
       Whereas, the Museum is ready to accommodate a space shuttle 
     orbiter with one million square feet of climate-controlled 
     exhibit space and an adjacent runway that is approved for a 
     landing of the shuttle carrier aircraft with a shuttle. In 
     addition, the Museum employs professional aerospace vehicle 
     restoration staff who are experienced in working with 
     hazardous aerospace materials such as those found on the 
     shuttle and who will ensure the preservation of the shuttle 
     to the highest museum standards; and
       Whereas, the Museum is located near Dayton, Ohio, the 
     birthplace of aviation and the home of the Wright Brothers, 
     and in the National Aviation Heritage Area, an area 
     designated by Congress that includes the Armstrong Air and 
     Space Museum, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical 
     Park, and National Aviation Hall of Fame. Finally, the Museum 
     is easily accessible from major population centers and is 
     within a 600-mile radius of 61% of the United States 
     population; and
       Whereas, the Department of Defense, especially the 
     Department of the Air Force, collaborated extensively with 
     NASA's space shuttle program, including influencing the basic 
     shuttle design, providing many highly skilled shuttle 
     astronauts, and saving the program in lean budget years 
     during its development; and
       Whereas, The Secretary of the Air Force has requested that 
     the NASA Administrator transfer a space shuttle orbiter to 
     the Air Force for placement in the Air Force's National 
     Historical Collection through interagency transfer using 
     existing statutes and regulations. This transfer will ensure 
     that a taxpayer-funded space shuttle arbiter will be kept 
     under the ownership and stewardship of the United States 
     government and the American people; Now therefore be it
       Resolved, That we, the members of the 129th General 
     Assembly of State of Ohio, conclude that it is in the 
     interest of the American people for a retired space shuttle 
     orbiter to be preserved and exhibited at the National Museum 
     of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force 
     Base near Dayton, Ohio; and be it further
       Resolved, That we, the members of the 129th General 
     Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge the President of the 
     United States and the Administrator of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) to honor the 
     request of the Department of the Air Force, for an 
     interagency transfer of an operational space shuttle orbiter 
     so that it can be displayed at the National Museum of the 
     United States Air Force as a national tribute to the American 
     spirit of space exploration and to the indelible partnership 
     between NASA and the Department of the Air Force which helped 
     make the space shuttle program possible; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly 
     authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of 
     the United States, the Administrator of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Speaker and Clerk 
     of the United States House of Representatives, the President 
     Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United State Senate, the 
     members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the news 
     media of Ohio.

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