IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1243 

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the International Space Station. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2020 

Mr. WEBER of Texas (for himself, Mr. POSEY, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. 

PERLMUTTER, Mr. BEYER, and Ms. WEXTON) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the International Space 

Station. 

Whereas, since November 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) has been continuously occupied by more than 

240 astronauts from the United States and other countries, during that time, have conducted over 3,000 experiments in microgravity environment, focusing on human 

health, exploration, space studies, engineering development, and materials testing; 

Whereas the activities conducted on the ISS continue to help 

develop the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) capabilities for long-duration, deep-space 

missions to the Moon and Mars, and are assisting businesses, other government agencies, and university reVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1243.IH HR1243

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•HRES 1243 IH 

searchers to develop knowledge and products that have 

and will result in benefits to humanity for years to come; 

Whereas with its many ongoing research projects and its educational outreach touching the lives of people around the 

world, the ISS is the world’s preeminent spaceflight program today, helping to improve life on Earth even as it 

inspires our species to reach for the stars; 

Whereas as a joint project of the NASA, the Russian Federal 

Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Canadian 

Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration 

Agency, the ISS is the result of a remarkable collaboration between 15 countries, sharing the most advanced 

technologies in the world for the peaceful and the productive use of space; 

Whereas NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, 

is the American headquarters for the ISS, one of the 

most impressive scientific and engineering achievements 

in history; 

Whereas NASA’s industry contractors and suppliers who 

helped design, build, integrate, and now operate the station have provided a critical service to the United States 

and NASA, as well as international partner agencies and 

the astronaut crews that have lived and served aboard 

the ISS for over 20 years; 

Whereas as the largest structure that humans have ever put 

into space, the ISS is made up of pressurized modules 

held together by external trusses and powered by a vast 

array of solar panels; 

Whereas the ISS is the length of a football field, and the 

solar array has the wingspan of a Boeing 777; 


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Whereas orbiting the globe every 92 minutes at an altitude 

of roughly 250 miles, the ISS is large enough to be seen 

from the surface of the Earth by the naked eye; 

Whereas the ISS has been significantly upgraded to allow for 

an extension of its mission to enable cutting edge research; 

Whereas the ISS is the key enabler of commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit; 

Whereas the ISS platform is essential to furthering human 

exploration by providing critical research and system testing for upcoming crewed exploration missions to the 

Moon and Mars; and 

Whereas the ISS is critical to maintaining United States 

leadership in low-Earth orbit: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the 

3 International Space Station (ISS); 

4 (2) commends the National Aeronautics and 

5 Space Administration (NASA) for its achievements 

6 as part of the ISS program and the Americans who 

7 have given to it so much of their skill, effort, and 

8 passion; 

9 (3) recognizes the many men and women sup10 porting ISS operations on the ground that enable 

11 the continued safe utilization of the ISS; 

12 (4) recognizes the more than 240 United States 

13 and international astronauts that have lived and 


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1 worked aboard the ISS to help build, integrate, oper2 ate, and maintain the ISS; 

3 (5) recognizes the importance of the ISS for 

4 scientific discovery, human exploration, and inter5 national cooperation; and 

6 (6) recognizes the importance of maintaining 

7 operation of the ISS as a national capability that 

8 serves a critical service to a range of government 

9 and commercial users. 

Æ 


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