[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12154-12155]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   APOLLO 11 MISSION, 46 YEARS LATER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hultgren) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and celebrate a 
monumental achievement our Nation's space program reached 46 years ago 
this week. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael 
Collins, and the entire NASA team transformed the world's belief in 
what was possible.
  Following President Kennedy's charge to land a man on the Moon and 
return him safely to the Earth before the decade was over, NASA put 
their talent and treasure into making that dream a reality. No longer 
was human discovery and exploration limited to our own planet. The 
Moon, which had always been beyond our human ability to reach, was now 
within our grasp.
  This ``giant leap for mankind'' propelled American space exploration 
and inspired generations to pursue science and research as a way of 
life. Today, human space exploration and discovery sciences are 
engrained in American society and are prime demonstrations of our 
Nation's exceptional nature. As Americans, it is in our DNA to push the 
boundaries and frontiers of knowledge.
  Developing new technologies and expertise is vital as we consider a 
mission to Mars, take closeup photos of Pluto, and send robots 
throughout our solar system. The new generation must now work to 
fulfill the dreams and ambitions of that first group of space 
explorers.
  Let us encourage our children to think seriously about careers in 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--careers that could 
lead them to become actual rocket scientists or astronauts. Bold, long-
term commitments to the projects that made NASA and our space program 
great will help inspire our kids.
  The Apollo 11 mission changed America and the world, and we remain 
forever grateful to those who were a part of that mission. Forty-six 
years ago, if

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the unthinkable occurred and the astronauts never made it back to 
Earth, President Nixon had a speech prepared to deliver to the Nation.
  If the worst happened, the President would have said:

       In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes 
     in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, 
     but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

  I was honored to meet the members of the Apollo 11 crew, including 
Neil Armstrong before he died. Indeed, these men were epic heroes of 
mine. Many of us grew up in an era where we were proud to be the Nation 
that sent men to the Moon, and we still are. Nothing can change that 
fateful decade of discovery coupled with frustration, trial coupled 
with error, all resulting in that historic world-changing mission.
  I want our kids and grandkids to look back and be proud citizens of 
the Nation that made our Moon hospitable, sent astronauts to Mars, and 
keeps sending spacecraft past the outer reaches of our solar system. 
Renewed vigor in our country's space program will ensure we continue to 
make mankind-sized leaps for years to come.

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