III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 441 

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Ms. WARREN, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. WARNER, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. CAPITO, 

Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. MORAN, Mr. JONES, Mr. GARDNER, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. ISAKSON, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. 

BROWN, Ms. SINEMA, and Ms. CANTWELL) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon 

landing. 

Whereas, on May 25, 1961, before a joint session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy— 

(1) declared, ‘‘Now it is time to take longer 

strides—time for a great new American enterprise—time 

for this Nation to take a clearly leading role in space 

achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to 

our future on Earth.’’; and 

(2) with his words, set the goal of sending astronauts to the Moon and returning them safely to the 

Earth; 


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•SRES 441 ATS 

Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(referred to in this preamble as ‘‘NASA’’) mobilized and 

established the Apollo space program to meet the goal set 

by President Kennedy; 

Whereas the Apollo space program built on the achievements 

of the prior space programs of NASA, including the Mercury and Gemini missions; 

Whereas the successful Moon landing honored the tragic sacrifice of every astronaut whose life had previously been 

lost in the service of United States spaceflight research, 

including— 

(1) Roger B. Chaffee, Virgil ‘‘Gus’’ I. Grissom, and 

Edward H. White II, the astronauts who lost their lives 

during the pre-flight test for Apollo 1; and 

(2) Theodore C. Freeman, Charles A. Bassett II, Elliot See, Jr., Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., Michael J. Adams, 

and Clifton C. Williams, Jr.; 

Whereas the crew of the Apollo 12 mission consisted of— 

(1) Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, Jr., Mission Commander; 

(2) Alan Bean, Lunar Module Pilot; and 

(3) Richard F. Gordon, Command Module Pilot; 

Whereas the entire Apollo 12 crew consisted of individuals 

who had served in the Navy; 

Whereas the official insignia of the mission was the clipper 

ship, which increased the use of the seas by the United 

States, just as the Apollo program increased the use of 

space-based knowledge and exploration; 

Whereas David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. 

Irwin stood ready to support or stand in for the Apollo 

12 crew; 


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•SRES 441 ATS 

Whereas, on November 14, 1969, the Apollo 12 crew 

launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center 

aboard a Saturn V rocket; 

Whereas, on November 19, 1969, the Intrepid Lunar Module 

landed on the surface of the Moon as the second-ever 

crewed Moon mission of the United States; 

Whereas Apollo 12 carried the second Apollo crew to the 

moon to build on the work of the first crew from Apollo 

11; 

Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 conducted an orbital maneuver to land in the Western Hemisphere of the Moon to 

recover portions of a previous lander that had been on 

the surface of the Moon for 2 years to study the effects 

of extended exposure to the surface of the Moon; 

Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 planted the flag of the United 

States in lunar soil, and images of the lunar surface indicate that the Apollo 12 flag is still standing; 

Whereas the Intrepid carried flags from 136 nations, the 

United Nations, and the 50 States and the territories of 

the United States, representing the international coordination and collaboration of space exploration and the scientific intent of the Apollo missions; 

Whereas the Apollo 12 crew collected lunar samples and conducted experiments to gain a better understanding of the 

composition of the Moon and conditions on its surface; 

Whereas Apollo 12 deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, a set of instruments left on the surface of the Moon to gather data; 

Whereas the success of the Apollo 12 Moon landing was a result of the skill, dedication, and collective effort of tens 


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•SRES 441 ATS 

of thousands of workers, scientists, engineers, and contractors of the United States; 

Whereas the Apollo 12 mission further demonstrated the 

focus and capability of the scientific community of the 

United States and cemented the United States as the 

world leader in space exploration; 

Whereas, 50 years later, the Apollo 12 Moon landing continues to inspire national and international scientific efforts in space, medicine, and other fields; and 

Whereas the knowledge and experience gained from the Apollo space program continues to inform missions to Mars, 

the far reaches of the solar system, and beyond: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apol3 lo 12 Moon landing; 

4 (2) honors the bravery and skill of Charles 

5 ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard F. 

6 Gordon, the crew of Apollo 12; 

7 (3) commends the efforts of all of the individ8 uals of the United States who contributed to the 

9 achievement of the Apollo 12 Moon landing, exem10 plifying a cooperative effort on a national scale that 

11 continues to inspire scientific progress; and 

12 (4) supports the continued leadership of the 

13 United States in the exploration and use of space 

14 through human spaceflight. 

Æ 


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