WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today passed two Science Committee resolutions honoring the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 mission and recognizing the contributions of women to space exploration.
By a unanimous vote of 401 to 0, the House passed H.Res. 441, a resolution congratulating the crew of STS-114 on a successful return to flight mission. The resolution was introduced by Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA).
“Today we are paying tribute to real American heroes – the crew of the return-to-flight STS-114 Discovery Shuttle mission and the NASA team and community on the ground,” Calvert said. “These heroes have the ‘right stuff’ that inspires the nation – from kids studying math and science, to all of us who are awed and inspired by NASA and our astronauts.”
Boehlert said, “I want to congratulate the entire NASA team on a successful return-to-flight. With our vote today, the House commended the crew for the risks they take in furthering our nation’s goals in space exploration and we recognized them for the fine examples they set in pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. The STS-114 flight was the first since the Columbia accident more than two and a half years ago and represents the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by government and contractor engineers, scientists, technicians, and operators.”
Boehlert added, “Exercising a bit of local pride, I’d also like to point out that the commander of this mission, Col. Eileen Collins, is an Upstate New Yorker. The young girl who dreamed of flying while watching gliders take off from Paris Hill in Elmira, New York, grew up to be a true trailblazer, becoming the first woman to pilot a Shuttle mission and the first Shuttle commander. She is a true role model for women everywhere and we in Upstate New York are proud to call her our hometown hero.”
The House also passed H.Res. 450, a resolution introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) recognizing the contributions of women to the U.S. space enterprise, including STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence.
Speaking in support of the resolution, Boehlert said, “Long before STS-114, women like Sally Ride (the first American woman in space), Kathryn Sullivan (the first American woman to perform a spacewalk), Mae Jemison (the first African-American woman in space), and Shannon Lucid (the previous American record holder for the length of time spent in space on a single mission) pushed the boundaries of human spaceflight. Women have also paid a dear price in the name of human spaceflight. Christa McAuliffe, Judith Resnick, Kalpana Chawla, and Laurel Clark will always be remembered for their courage and heroism. Eileen Collins, Wendy Lawrence, and the rest of the STS-114 crew stand on the shoulders of those great women who came before them, and this resolution rightly recognizes that fact.”
“House Resolution 450 goes a long way in recognizing the importance of women to our Nation’s civil space program, from Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence of the Discovery STS-114 mission to the other 40 women who have served in NASA’s Astronaut Corps,” Calvert said. “All women who offer the ground support for the launches and those women in the space and earth sciences – our Nation offers a resounding thanks.”
