    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [July 4, 1997]
    [Page 915]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Landing of the Mars Pathfinder Spacecraft
    July 4, 1997

        On this important day, the American people celebrate another
    exciting milestone in our Nation's long heritage of progress, discovery,
    and exploration: the first landing on the surface of Mars in over 20
    years.
        Our return to Mars today marks the beginning of a new era in the
    Nation's space exploration program. The Mars Pathfinder is the first of
    a series of probes we are sending to Mars over the next decade. The
    information we gather on our neighbor planet will help us better
    understand our own world and perhaps provide further clues on the
    origins of our solar system. This mission also underscores our new way
    of doing business at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    (NASA). We were able to accomplish this mission in one-third the time
    and at a fraction of the cost of the first Viking mission to Mars.
        I congratulate the Mars Pathfinder team at NASA and the Jet
    Propulsion Laboratory for their pioneering vision and spirit in
    accomplishing this remarkable feat. Their success in developing the
    Pathfinder mission is a testament to the ingenuity and can-do attitude
    of the American people.