[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 441 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 441
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 21, 2019
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Rubio, Mr. Warner, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Capito, Ms.
Duckworth, Mr. Moran, Mr. Jones, Mr. Gardner, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr.
Isakson, Ms. Harris, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Brown, Ms.
Sinema, and Ms. Cantwell) submitted the following resolution; which was
considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing.
Whereas, on May 25, 1961, before a joint session of Congress, President John F.
Kennedy--
(1) declared, ``Now it is time to take longer strides--time for a great
new American enterprise--time for this Nation to take a clearly leading
role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our
future on Earth.''; and
(2) with his words, set the goal of sending astronauts to the Moon and
returning them safely to the Earth;
Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this
preamble as ``NASA'') mobilized and established the Apollo space program
to meet the goal set by President Kennedy;
Whereas the Apollo space program built on the achievements of the prior space
programs of NASA, including the Mercury and Gemini missions;
Whereas the successful Moon landing honored the tragic sacrifice of every
astronaut whose life had previously been lost in the service of United
States spaceflight research, including--
(1) Roger B. Chaffee, Virgil ``Gus'' I. Grissom, and Edward H. White
II, the astronauts who lost their lives during the pre-flight test for
Apollo 1; and
(2) Theodore C. Freeman, Charles A. Bassett II, Elliot See, Jr., Robert
H. Lawrence, Jr., Michael J. Adams, and Clifton C. Williams, Jr.;
Whereas the crew of the Apollo 12 mission consisted of--
(1) Charles ``Pete'' Conrad, Jr., Mission Commander;
(2) Alan Bean, Lunar Module Pilot; and
(3) Richard F. Gordon, Command Module Pilot;
Whereas the entire Apollo 12 crew consisted of individuals who had served in the
Navy;
Whereas the official insignia of the mission was the clipper ship, which
increased the use of the seas by the United States, just as the Apollo
program increased the use of space-based knowledge and exploration;
Whereas David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. Irwin stood ready to
support or stand in for the Apollo 12 crew;
Whereas, on November 14, 1969, the Apollo 12 crew launched from the John F.
Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn V rocket;
Whereas, on November 19, 1969, the Intrepid Lunar Module landed on the surface
of the Moon as the second-ever crewed Moon mission of the United States;
Whereas Apollo 12 carried the second Apollo crew to the moon to build on the
work of the first crew from Apollo 11;
Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 conducted an orbital maneuver to land in the
Western Hemisphere of the Moon to recover portions of a previous lander
that had been on the surface of the Moon for 2 years to study the
effects of extended exposure to the surface of the Moon;
Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 planted the flag of the United States in lunar
soil, and images of the lunar surface indicate that the Apollo 12 flag
is still standing;
Whereas the Intrepid carried flags from 136 nations, the United Nations, and the
50 States and the territories of the United States, representing the
international coordination and collaboration of space exploration and
the scientific intent of the Apollo missions;
Whereas the Apollo 12 crew collected lunar samples and conducted experiments to
gain a better understanding of the composition of the Moon and
conditions on its surface;
Whereas Apollo 12 deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, a set
of instruments left on the surface of the Moon to gather data;
Whereas the success of the Apollo 12 Moon landing was a result of the skill,
dedication, and collective effort of tens of thousands of workers,
scientists, engineers, and contractors of the United States;
Whereas the Apollo 12 mission further demonstrated the focus and capability of
the scientific community of the United States and cemented the United
States as the world leader in space exploration;
Whereas, 50 years later, the Apollo 12 Moon landing continues to inspire
national and international scientific efforts in space, medicine, and
other fields; and
Whereas the knowledge and experience gained from the Apollo space program
continues to inform missions to Mars, the far reaches of the solar
system, and beyond: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon
landing;
(2) honors the bravery and skill of Charles ``Pete''
Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard F. Gordon, the crew of
Apollo 12;
(3) commends the efforts of all of the individuals of the
United States who contributed to the achievement of the Apollo
12 Moon landing, exemplifying a cooperative effort on a
national scale that continues to inspire scientific progress;
and
(4) supports the continued leadership of the United States
in the exploration and use of space through human spaceflight.
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