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Congressional Record—Senate S1927 February 5, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1927 country in remembering the seven the Moon experienced powerful joy and carried into space by the shuttle. So all brave crewmembers of the Space Shut- monumental success, and yet we have Utahans join in expressing our condo- tle Columbia who tragically lost their faced tremendous setbacks and ex- lences to the families, and our deter- lives last Saturday morning, February treme sorrow. But we have persevered, mination that space exploration by 1, 2003. and we have continued our missions this country will nonetheless still go Rick Husband, William McCool, Mi- into the heavens. forward. chael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, From our colleague John Glenn and Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, David M. Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Allan Shepherd to Neil Armstrong to Senator NELSON and I attended, along Clark, and Ilan Ramon gave their lives an international space station, and with many other Senators, the beau- trying to expand our knowledge of from the crew of Challenger and the tiful service yesterday honoring these science, advance our technology, and crew of Columbia, we must continue to brave astronauts that we now know so broaden the limits of our universe. challenge ourselves as they challenged much more about. Today the Senate is These seven courageous astronauts themselves. We must continue to bet- commemorating these Columbia astro- sacrificed their lives for our future. ter ourselves as a nation and continue nauts and reconfirming the importance While this is a time of great sadness, it to grow. to our country that space research has is also a time to take great pride in President Kennedy challenged Amer- been and will continue to be. their achievements, their dedication, ica to send a man to the Moon. We In the resolution we talk about U.S. and their service to the Nation and to have met that challenge and have gone Air Force COL Rick Husband, the mis- the world. far beyond. sion commander, who was from Texas; They were seven different people As we continue with future missions, U.S. Navy commander, William Willie with various skills, many talents, and we must never forget these seven brave McCool, the pilot; U.S. Air Force LTC different backgrounds, and they all souls. They gave the ultimate sacrifice Michael Anderson, payload com- came to work together as a team. That for a noble cause. My deepest condo- mander, mission specialist; U.S. Navy is what most people believe America lences go out to their families and the CAPT David Brown, mission specialist; should be like: working together as a Nation that mourns them and the U.S. Navy commander Laurel Blair team to accomplish something greater country of Israel that mourns its lost Salton Clark, mission specialist; Dr. than themselves. They could have had astronaut. This is a time for mourning, Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; very comfortable jobs somewhere else, but we must shortly move on and con- and Israeli Air Force COL Ilan Ramon, but they chose to risk their lives for tinue to run the great risks they took, payload specialist. They were killed in the country. They have not only found in their memory, so we can build upon the line of duty. The Senate is hon- a place in our hearts, but they have their sacrifice, so we continue to reach oring them today. found a place in our imagination also for the heavens and beyond. Debris has been recovered in 38 coun- because, for me, they represent what I yield the floor and suggest the ab- ties of my State, spreading over a sur- this country is all about. They came sence of a quorum. face area of 28,000 square miles, an area together. They came from modest cir- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The the size of West Virginia. The Space cumstances. They used the power of clerk will call the roll. Shuttle Columbia broke up 40 miles education to prepare themselves not The assistant legislative clerk pro- above the ground. just for personal success but to con- ceeded to call the roll. It is my honor to cosponsor this reso- tribute to the Nation and to contribute Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask lution with Senator NELSON, the only to the world. They exemplify the best unanimous consent that the order for Member of the Senate who has actually of this Nation. the quorum call be rescinded. been on a manned space flight, and They understood that great accom- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Senator Glenn, of course, before him. plishment and great achievement bring objection, it is so ordered. He has been a great resource on the great risk. They knew this, yet they f committee. valiantly accepted, in the name of Before turning it over to Senator RECESS science and exploration, all the risks. NELSON of Florida, I ask for the yeas It is important we pay tribute to them Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask and nays. and acknowledge the risks our astro- unanimous consent that the Senate The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a nauts take with every mission. stand in recess for the policy lunches sufficient second? There is a sufficient We tend to take these risks for grant- and that it reconvene at 2:15 p.m. second. ed and forget the extreme conditions There being no objection, the Senate, The yeas and nays were ordered. and pressures these brave men and at 12:27 p.m., recessed until 2:16 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- women face and will face in the future. and reassembled when called to order ator from Florida. In honor of the crew of Columbia, we by the Presiding Officer (Mrs. DOLE). Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam must not take these risks for granted f President, how much time remains in any longer. the debate? In their honor, we must pledge to COMMEMORATING THE ‘‘COLUM- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- BIA’’ ASTRONAUTS—Continued continue the peaceful exploration of ator has 21⁄2 minutes. space. We have forged international The PRESIDING OFFICER. There Mr. NELSON of Florida. Madam partnerships. We have been able to are now 5 minutes evenly divided. President, it is with sadness that I rise share the pride of an international Mrs. HUTCHISON. I yield 11⁄2 minutes to join my colleague from Texas to space station. We must continue to to Senator BENNETT from Utah. support this resolution. So many of our fund NASA, continue our space pro- Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, all colleagues have joined us. We thank grams, and continue in the tradition of that needs to be said has been said by you very much for joining us yesterday American and human accomplishment. the President and others about the as we went to the space center in Hous- Later this year, we will celebrate the shuttle disaster. I simply note the peo- ton. 100th anniversary of the Wright broth- ple of Utah are particularly distressed, This is a resolution that not only ers’ monumental 59-second flight on not only with the human tragedy that talks about the past, and about brav- December 17, 1903. That flight forever affects all Americans but because the ery, but it talks about the future. It changed the world. Fifty-four years space program is very close to the talks not only about honoring the leg- later, we were able to put a man in hearts of all Utahans. acy and the lives and the sacrifice of space. My predecessor in the Senate, Jake these brave souls but also about ful- The process of innovation and explo- Garn, was an astronaut on the shuttle. filling America’s destiny as a nation of ration must go on, and America must The Jake Garn Space Center at Utah explorers and adventurers. play its traditional significant, historic State University is named after the This resolution is about the vision role. Senator. The schoolchildren of Utah that ignites the heart of almost every We have in our process from the assembled project ‘‘Star Shine,’’ which American, to think that we are push- sands of Kitty Hawk to the stretches of was a school science project that was ing back the frontier. As we developed VerDate Jan 31 2003 03:32 Feb 06, 2003 Jkt 019061 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G05FE6.028 S05PT1 S1928 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 5, 2003 this country, we used to push west- their families, and the much larger American success story. His story can ward. That was our frontier. Now we NASA community who are mourning make us all proud to be members of push upward and explore the heavens. as we speak. A moment of silence, this country, make us proud of our I urge our colleagues to join Senator please. country. Born in Tegucigalpa, Hon- HUTCHISON and me in supporting this The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without duras, his parents divorced when he resolution. objection, it is so ordered. was only 4 years old. Mr. Estrada re- I yield the floor. (The Senate observed a moment of si- mained in Honduras with his father The PRESIDING OFFICER. The lence.) while his sister emigrated to the question is on agreeing to the resolu- Mr. FRIST. Thank you. United States with his mother. Years tion. The yeas and nays have been or- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- later, as a teenager, Mr. Estrada joined dered. The clerk will call the roll. jority leader. his mother in the United States. Al- The assistant legislative clerk called f though he had taken English classes the roll. during school in Honduras, he actually Mr.
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