[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE LANDING OF ``ATLANTIS''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL POSEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 2011

  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, today is a bittersweet day for Florida's 
Space Coast, for the space program, and for the Nation. As Atlantis 
touched down at 5:57 a.m. today, July 21, 2011, at Kennedy Space 
Center, another era of exploration closed.
  Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral have been the center of 
America's human space flight program since its inception. Nearly every 
manned mission has launched from Florida's Space Coast. The Shuttle 
program is no different. Every Shuttle mission has been processed, 
assembled, and launched by the talented and dedicated men and women at 
Kennedy Space Center.
  Just as Kennedy Space Center has been an important part of the 
Shuttle Program, the Shuttle Program has been an essential part of 
Florida's identity, so much so that it was featured on our State's 
quarter. From the rumble of the Shuttle lifting off, to the sonic boom 
felt as the Shuttle traverses Florida on its way to land at Kennedy 
after another accomplished mission, the Shuttle is a part of Central 
Florida's culture.
  Space Coast residents have cheered the successes the Shuttle Program 
has seen in its 30 years of service to our Nation: ferrying astronauts, 
modules, components, and experiments to the International Space 
Station; launching and repairing numerous satellites including the 
Hubble; launching three interplanetary probes; and advancing scientific 
experimentation including microgravity research. After all, the 
citizens of the Space Coast working at Kennedy Space Center helped make 
these successes possible.
  Our community grieved deeply when, as President Ronald Reagan said, 
the Challenger astronauts ``slipped the surly bonds of this Earth,'' to 
``touch the face of God,'' on January 28, 1986, and when the Shuttle 
Columbia failed to make it home on February 1, 2003. The entire Nation 
wept for the loss of these heroes, but the Space Coast mourned these 
brave men and women as family.
  As we welcome Atlantis home for the last time, I would especially 
like to applaud all of our Shuttle workers from United Space Alliance 
and other contractors who did the work necessary to keep the Shuttles 
flying for 30 great years. It is their hard work and dedication that 
made these missions possible. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to each 
and every one of them on this historic, but bittersweet day.

                          ____________________