SENATE RESOLUTION 704--HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF GENERAL THOMAS P. STAFFORD AND RECOGNIZING HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES SPACE PROGRAM; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 161
(Senate - September 17, 2020)
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[Page S5712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 704--HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF GENERAL THOMAS
P. STAFFORD AND RECOGNIZING HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES SPACE
PROGRAM
Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Lankford) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 704
Whereas General Thomas Patten Stafford was born in
Weatherford, Oklahoma, on September 17, 1930, to Thomas and
Mary Ellen Stafford;
Whereas General Stafford graduated with honors from the
United States Naval Academy in 1952, after which he joined
the newly formed United States Air Force;
Whereas General Stafford entered the United States Air
Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force
Base in 1958 and graduated in 1959, receiving the A.B. Honts
Award as the outstanding graduate, and thereafter becoming an
instructor and writing flight performance and aerodynamics
textbooks for the school;
Whereas, in 1962, General Stafford was chosen among the
second group of astronauts by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) to serve in projects Gemini and
Apollo;
Whereas General Stafford developed techniques for and
piloted Gemini VI in 1965, completing the first rendezvous in
space, and commanded Gemini IX in 1966, demonstrating 3
different types of rendezvous, including the rendezvous that
would be used in future Apollo lunar missions;
Whereas, in 1969, General Stafford commanded Apollo 10,
piloted the first lunar module to descend within 9 miles of
the Moon, designated the first lunar landing site, performed
reconnaissance of future Apollo landing sites, and completed
each of the essential steps in the final preparation for the
upcoming Moon landing, including the first rendezvous around
the Moon;
Whereas General Stafford and his crew won the National
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Trustees
``Emmy'' Award for initiating development of and taking the
first colored images from space;
Whereas General Stafford set the record for the fastest
speed traveled by a human during the return of the Apollo 10
mission, a record standing today and documented in the
Guinness World Book of Records, at 24,791 miles per hour or
Mach 36;
Whereas General Stafford's final space mission took place
in 1975 as commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, during
which General Stafford and Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov shook
hands upon docking, completing the first international space
flight and helping set into motion the end of the Cold War;
Whereas General Stafford received the Nobel Peace Prize
nomination for his role in this mission;
Whereas General Stafford left NASA in 1975 to serve as
commander of the Air Force Test Flight Center at Edwards Air
Force Base;
Whereas General Stafford, as Air Force Deputy Chief of
Staff for Research, Development, and Acquisition, established
requirements for and initiated development of the first
stealth aircraft, the F-117A, which was the only stealth
attack aircraft in the world for 25 years, and initiated the
Air Force roadmap for the Advance Superiority Fighter still
in use today;
Whereas, just prior to his retirement in 1979, General
Stafford wrote the specifications for and initiated the
development of the Advance Technology Bomber, now known as
the B-2 Stealth Bomber, the only stealth bomber force in the
world today, and initiated the development of the AGM-129
Stealth Cruise Missile;
Whereas, from 1991 to 1993, General Stafford led NASA's
efforts to repair and service the Hubble Telescope and was
presented with the NASA Public Service Award;
Whereas, in 2011, General Stafford was awarded the Wright
Brothers Memorial Trophy for pioneering achievements that
have led the way to the Moon, to greater international
cooperation in space, and to a safer United States;
Whereas General Stafford completed over 507 hours in space
flight time and flew more than 127 types of aircraft and
helicopters during his career, along with 4 kinds of
spacecraft and 3 types of boosters;
Whereas General Stafford has advised several presidents on
space policy and is currently the Chairman of the NASA
Advisory Task Force on the International Space Station;
Whereas September 17, 2020, marks General Stafford's 90th
birthday; and
Whereas General Stafford has given a lifetime of service to
the Nation as a member of the Armed Forces, at NASA, and in
other positions within the Executive branch: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes General Stafford's immense contribution to
the Space Race and the United States' advancement in space
policy and exploration;
(2) commends General Stafford for his extraordinary
dedication and service to the United States throughout his
distinguished career; and
(3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an
enrolled copy of this resolution to General Stafford.
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