Congress Unanimously
Passes Paul Resolution
Praising Space Shuttle Discovery Mission
July 20, 2006
The
following are excerpts of Congressman Paul’s remarks on the House floor:
“Mr.
Speaker, I am pleased to sponsor H.Con.Res. 448, a resolution commending the
people of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the
latest mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Successfully launched on July 4 this mission, known as STS-121, marks the
second mission on the Return to Flight sequence. STS-121 originally was
scheduled to perform just two space walks. However, due
to the overall success of the launch, the mission was extended from twelve to
thirteen days, allowing for an additional space walk.
Among
the tasks that were preformed on this mission are tests of shuttle safety
improvements to build on findings from Discovery’s flight last year, including
a redesign of the shuttle's external fuel tank’s foam insulation; in-flight
inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield; improved imagery during launch; and
the ability to launch a shuttle rescue mission. The
external tank, which underwent work prior to the mission to reduce foam loss,
performed well this time especially early in the flight.
The
STS-121 mission also bolstered the International Space Station by making a key
repair and delivering more than 28,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, as well
as adding a third crew member to the Space Station.
STS-121
was NASA’s most photographed mission in shuttle history as more than 100 high
definition, digital, video, and film cameras assessed whether any debris comes
off the external tank during the shuttle’s launch, while four new videos have
been added to the solid rocket boosters.
Mr. Speaker, the success of STS-121 is a tribute to the skills and dedication of all NASA employees, especially the Space Shuttle Discovery’s crew of Colonel Steve Lindsey; Commander Mark Kelly; Piers Sellers, PhD; Lt. Colonel Mike Fossum; Commander Lisa Nowak; Stephanie Wilson; and Thomas Reiter."