Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages S5098-S5099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ``APOLLO 11''
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 50th
anniversary of the moon landing and New Hampshire's role in this
important moment of history.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin completed their 13th
orbit around the Moon and fired up the descent engine on the now-
historic Eagle Apollo Lunar Module. With pilot Michael Collins staying
behind in the command module, Columbia, these American heroes, with the
entire world watching and backed by a whole generation of scientists,
engineers, and specialists supporting them on the ground, began their
initial descent to be the first humans to set foot on another planetary
body.
What many Americans may not know is that as both pilots began their
historic descent, critical New Hampshire-made technology was helping
them along the way. Sensors made by RdF Corporation in Hudson were a
part of the lunar module propulsion system guiding them to the lunar
surface. RdF sensors were also on their spacesuits as they took that
first giant leap for mankind.
RdF, which continues to support the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, NASA, as it looks to return to the Moon and then Mars,
is just one of the many innovative small businesses in the Granite
State that have played such a critical role in our country's space
program.
For example, the Saturn V rocket program, which launched the Apollo
crews to the Moon, benefitted from a state-of-the-art computerized
system which was developed at Sanders Associates in Nashua, now a part
of BAE Systems. HaighFarr in Bedford has been in business for over 50
years designing complex antennas for the space program and has played a
significant role in our Mars lander and rover programs. Mikrolar, in
Hampton, manufactures high precision positioning systems and is a
critical piece of the James Webb Telescope, which will be the successor
to the Hubble sometime in the next decade.
The fact is that New Hampshire's pioneering and innovative small
business community has been a mainstay in the aerospace community for
decades and remains so today. As the ranking member on the
Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees and funds NASA, I am
supportive of NASA's efforts to get us back to the Moon and eventually
Mars, particularly because I know Granite State businesses will be
leading those efforts.
It is not just the private sector in New Hampshire that has stepped
up to keep us competitive in science and space. It is also our
educational community. The University of New Hampshire, UNH, is a key
contributor to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been in
orbit around the Moon since 2009. The New Hampshire Space Grant
Consortium, which includes nine Granite State affiliates, including
UNH, Dartmouth, and our very own McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, is
focused on educating our future scientists and space technicians.
A true accounting of New Hampshire's role in space would not be
complete without calling attention to two of our State's most
impressive space-faring heroes: Alan Shepard and Christa McAuliffe.
[[Page S5099]]
Alan Shepard was from Derry and is better known to the rest of the
world as the first American in space. His historic 1961 Mercury flight
paved the way for the Apollo missions to the Moon. I am also reminded
that, as the commander of the follow-on Apollo 14 mission, he also
became the first human to golf on the Moon's surface.
Christa McAuliffe's legacy as an advocate for her students and for
science education continues to inspire to this day. New Hampshire and
the entire country are proud of her pioneering efforts. Earlier this
month, the entire U.S. Senate honored that legacy and passed my
legislation authorizing the U.S. Mint to produce a commemorative coin
in her honor.
As we continue to celebrate these American achievements, we also
celebrate the New Hampshire businesses, institutions, and people who
helped make that possible and remember the pride Americans everywhere
felt that day.
I also hope that the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing will serve
as a wake-up call to all of us, a statement of the great things our
country can do when we stand united, working together, and focused on a
common goal. We need more of that today. I hope we will look to heroes
like Christa McAuliffe, Alan Shepard, and the Apollo 11 crew as we
rededicate ourselves as a nation to achieving the impossible.
____________________