TITLE: Congratulating Garrett Gatlin of Graham High School on placing third in the 2017 StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge as a member of the Rocketeer Steers team.

SUMMARY: Congratulating Garrett Gatlin of Graham High School on placing third in the 2017 StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge as a member of the Rocketeer Steers team.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Garrett Gatlin has made valuable contributions to the Graham High School Rocketeer Steers team, which placed third in the StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge held in Colorado April 6-8, 2017; and WHEREAS, Established by the Air Force Association, StellarXplorers helps promote student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through a challenging space-system design competition; the contest began in October 2016 with more than 130 teams registered from 30 states and 2 overseas locations, and Graham High School advanced to the national event after outstanding showings in the qualifying and semifinals rounds; and WHEREAS, In the finals, the squad faced off against nine other teams, completing an exercise that involved meeting a set of space-mission requirements; the Rocketeer Steers had eight hours to define an optimal satellite orbit, select spacecraft components, and choose rocket boosters, and the next day, they presented a briefing about their solution to a panel of expert judges; and WHEREAS, With his team's third-place finish, Mr. Gatlin received an educational grant sponsored by the U.S. Air Force STEM Program and the United Launch Alliance; after graduating in May 2017, he plans to attend Texas Tech University and study psychology; and WHEREAS, Through his fine performance on the national stage, this notable young Texan has garnered the respect of his classmates and fellow competitors, and the confidence, skills, and experience he has gained in the StellarXplorers program will be of great use to him in his future endeavors; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Garrett Gatlin on placing third in the 2017 StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge as a member of the Graham High School Rocketeer Steers and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Gatlin as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Springer Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2102 was adopted by the House on May 25, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House