III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 82 

Congratulating the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 

on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Laboratory. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2017 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on the 75th anniversary of the founding 

of the Laboratory. 

Whereas, on March 10, 2017, the Johns Hopkins University 

Applied Physics Laboratory (in this preamble referred to 

as ‘‘APL’’), located in Laurel, Maryland, celebrates the 

75th anniversary of the founding of APL on March 10, 

1942; 

Whereas, less than 4 months after the attack on the United 

States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, APL was established to perfect and help field the radio proximity fuze, 

one of the most closely guarded wartime secrets of the 

United States; 

Whereas historians have ranked the development of the radio 

proximity fuze as one of the 3 most important technomstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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•SRES 82 ATS 

logical developments of World War II, along with the development of radar and the atomic bomb; 

Whereas, during and after World War II, APL developed the 

first generation of Navy surface-to-air missiles and associated propulsion, guidance, control, and targeting technologies; 

Whereas APL developed the initial ‘‘phased array’’ radar system, called AMFAR, for the Navy that provided the scanning, tracking, and targeting necessary to defend the 

ships of the United States against simultaneous aircraft 

and missile raids; 

Whereas APL created the first satellite-based global navigation system, called Transit, the forerunner of modern 

GPS, to serve the ballistic missile submarine force of the 

United States and provide essential capabilities to the 

Navy from 1964 until the 1990s; 

Whereas APL developed prototypes, experiments, ocean physics research, and engineering models that unlocked the 

potential of towed sonar arrays, groundbreaking developments that revolutionized anti-submarine warfare and 

guided stealth designs for multiple generations of submarines of the United States; 

Whereas APL led development of the Navy’s Cooperative Engagement Capability that revolutionized air defenses by 

enabling ships to engage aircraft and missiles not seen by 

the radars of the ships by using composite radar tracks 

created from the radars of ships within the battle group; 

Whereas APL developed a system called SATRACK to ensure 

the accuracy of the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles and confidently estimate missile accuracy 

anywhere in the world; 

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Whereas APL proposed, developed, built, and operated a 

number of the most innovative low-cost planetary science 

missions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including— 

(1) the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (commonly 

known as ‘‘NEAR’’) mission in 2001, the first mission to 

orbit an asteroid; 

(2) the MESSENGER Mercury orbiter, launched in 

2004; and 

(3) New Horizons, which launched in 2006 and completed a historic flyby of Pluto in 2015; 

Whereas APL has been responsible for hundreds of significant contributions to the most critical challenges faced by 

the United States with respect to national security and 

space exploration; and 

Whereas the sustained commitment by APL to the United 

States and the Federal Government sponsors of APL allowed APL— 

(1) to continuously provide significant contributions 

to critical challenges with respect to systems engineering 

and integration, technology research and development, 

and analysis; and 

(2) to serve as the most comprehensive University 

Affiliated Research Center in the United States: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates the Johns Hopkins University 

3 Applied Physics Laboratory on the 75th anniversary 

4 of the founding of the Laboratory; 

5 (2) recognizes the scientific, engineering, and 

6 analytical expertise that the Johns Hopkins Univermstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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•SRES 82 ATS 

1 sity Applied Physics Laboratory has applied to solve 

2 many of the most critical challenges faced by the 

3 United States in the areas of national security and 

4 space exploration; and 

5 (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

6 the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu7 tion to the director of the Johns Hopkins University 

8 Applied Physics Laboratory. 

Æ 

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