III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 704 

Honoring the accomplishments of General Thomas P. Stafford and 

recognizing his contribution to the United States Space Program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 

Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. LANKFORD) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the accomplishments of General Thomas P. Stafford and recognizing his contribution to the United 

States Space Program. 

Whereas General Thomas Patten Stafford was born in 

Weatherford, Oklahoma, on September 17, 1930, to 

Thomas and Mary Ellen Stafford; 

Whereas General Stafford graduated with honors from the 

United States Naval Academy in 1952, after which he 

joined the newly formed United States Air Force; 

Whereas General Stafford entered the United States Air 

Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air 

Force Base in 1958 and graduated in 1959, receiving the 

A.B. Honts Award as the outstanding graduate, and 

thereafter becoming an instructor and writing flight performance and aerodynamics textbooks for the school; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 704 ATS 

Whereas, in 1962, General Stafford was chosen among the 

second group of astronauts by the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration (NASA) to serve in projects 

Gemini and Apollo; 

Whereas General Stafford developed techniques for and piloted Gemini VI in 1965, completing the first rendezvous 

in space, and commanded Gemini IX in 1966, demonstrating 3 different types of rendezvous, including the 

rendezvous that would be used in future Apollo lunar 

missions; 

Whereas, in 1969, General Stafford commanded Apollo 10, 

piloted the first lunar module to descend within 9 miles 

of the Moon, designated the first lunar landing site, performed reconnaissance of future Apollo landing sites, and 

completed each of the essential steps in the final preparation for the upcoming Moon landing, including the first 

rendezvous around the Moon; 

Whereas General Stafford and his crew won the National 

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Trustees ‘‘Emmy’’ Award for initiating development of and 

taking the first colored images from space; 

Whereas General Stafford set the record for the fastest speed 

traveled by a human during the return of the Apollo 10 

mission, a record standing today and documented in the 

Guinness World Book of Records, at 24,791 miles per 

hour or Mach 36; 

Whereas General Stafford’s final space mission took place in 

1975 as commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 

during which General Stafford and Cosmonaut Alexei 

Leonov shook hands upon docking, completing the first 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 704 ATS 

international space flight and helping set into motion the 

end of the Cold War; 

Whereas General Stafford received the Nobel Peace Prize 

nomination for his role in this mission; 

Whereas General Stafford left NASA in 1975 to serve as 

commander of the Air Force Test Flight Center at 

Edwards Air Force Base; 

Whereas General Stafford, as Air Force Deputy Chief of 

Staff for Research, Development, and Acquisition, established requirements for and initiated development of the 

first stealth aircraft, the F-117A, which was the only 

stealth attack aircraft in the world for 25 years, and initiated the Air Force roadmap for the Advance Superiority Fighter still in use today; 

Whereas, just prior to his retirement in 1979, General Stafford wrote the specifications for and initiated the development of the Advance Technology Bomber, now known as 

the B-2 Stealth Bomber, the only stealth bomber force in 

the world today, and initiated the development of the 

AGM-129 Stealth Cruise Missile; 

Whereas, from 1991 to 1993, General Stafford led NASA’s 

efforts to repair and service the Hubble Telescope and 

was presented with the NASA Public Service Award; 

Whereas, in 2011, General Stafford was awarded the Wright 

Brothers Memorial Trophy for pioneering achievements 

that have led the way to the Moon, to greater international cooperation in space, and to a safer United 

States; 

Whereas General Stafford completed over 507 hours in space 

flight time and flew more than 127 types of aircraft and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 704 ATS 

helicopters during his career, along with 4 kinds of spacecraft and 3 types of boosters; 

Whereas General Stafford has advised several presidents on 

space policy and is currently the Chairman of the NASA 

Advisory Task Force on the International Space Station; 

Whereas September 17, 2020, marks General Stafford’s 90th 

birthday; and 

Whereas General Stafford has given a lifetime of service to 

the Nation as a member of the Armed Forces, at NASA, 

and in other positions within the Executive branch: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes General Stafford’s immense con3 tribution to the Space Race and the United States’ 

4 advancement in space policy and exploration; 

5 (2) commends General Stafford for his extraor6 dinary dedication and service to the United States 

7 throughout his distinguished career; and 

8 (3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to trans9 mit an enrolled copy of this resolution to General 

10 Stafford. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS