[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6242-6243]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      AMERICANS LOOK TO THE STARS

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, human history is punctuated by 
explorations of the world around us. We are a nation of explorers. It 
is part of our national identity, and finding new

[[Page 6243]]

planets and looking for evidence of life beyond our Earth fascinates 
most Americans.
  The discovery of life elsewhere in the universe would alter our 
priorities for space exploration and affect how we view ourselves.
  In just the last two decades, we have confirmed the existence of 
3,000 exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. Probing the cosmos 
encourages the next generation of young students to pursue careers in 
astronomy, astrophysics, and astrobiology.
  We must continue to look at the Stars. They offer us a glimpse of the 
past and hope for the future.

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