III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 646 

Honoring the life and legacy of Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 16, 2024 

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

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Lieutenant General Thomas 

P. Stafford. 

Whereas, on September 17, 1930, Lieutenant General Thomas Patten Stafford (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘General Stafford’’) was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma, to 

Thomas and Mary Ellen Stafford; 

Whereas, in 1952, General Stafford graduated with honors 

from the United States Naval Academy, after which he 

joined the newly formed Air Force; 

Whereas, in 1958, General Stafford entered the United 

States Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School at 

Edwards Air Force Base, California; 

Whereas, in 1959, General Stafford graduated from the 

United States Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School, 

receiving the A.B. Honts Award as the outstanding gradVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Apr 17, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR646.ATS SR646

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•SRES 646 ATS 

uate, and thereafter became an instructor and wrote 

flight performance and aerodynamics textbooks for the 

school; 

Whereas, in 1962, General Stafford was chosen among the 

second group of astronauts by the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration (referred to in this preamble 

as ‘‘NASA’’) to serve in projects Gemini and Apollo; 

Whereas, in 1965, General Stafford developed techniques for 

and piloted Gemini VI, completing the first rendezvous in 

space; 

Whereas, in 1966, General Stafford commanded Gemini IX, 

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 Award (commonly known as an ‘‘Emmy Award’’) for 

initiating development of and taking the first colored images from space; 

Whereas, during the return of the Apollo 10 mission, General 

Stafford set the record for the fastest speed traveled by 

a human, at 24,791 miles per hour (or Mach 36), which, 

as of 2024, is still the record and is documented in the 

Guinness World Book of Records; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•SRES 646 ATS 

Whereas, in 1975, General Stafford took command of the 

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project for his final space mission, 

during which General Stafford and Cosmonaut Alexei 

Leonov shook hands during docking, completing the first 

international space flight and helping to diminish Cold 

War tensions; 

Whereas General Stafford was nominated for the Nobel 

Peace Prize for his role in the Apollo-Soyuz mission; 

Whereas, in 1975, General Stafford left NASA to serve as 

the commander of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards 

Air Force Base, California; 

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 attack aircraft, the F117A, which was the 

only stealth attack aircraft in the world for 25 years, and 

initiated the Air Force roadmap for the air superiority 

fighter that is still in use in 2024; 

Whereas General Stafford, just before his retirement in 1979, 

wrote the specifications for, and initiated the development 

of, the Advanced Technology Bomber, now known as the 

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

world as of 2024, and initiated the development of the 

AGM–129 Advanced Cruise Missile; 

Whereas, from 1991 to 1993, General Stafford led the efforts 

of NASA to repair and service the Hubble Space 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 interVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Apr 17, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR646.ATS SR646

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•SRES 646 ATS 

national cooperation in space, and to a safer United 

States; 

Whereas General Stafford completed more than 507 hours in 

space flight time and flew more than 127 types of aircraft and helicopters during his career, along with 4 

kinds of spacecraft and 3 types of boosters; 

Whereas General Stafford advised several Presidents on space 

policy and served as the Chairman of the NASA Advisory 

Task Force on the International Space Station; 

Whereas General Stafford gave a lifetime of service to the 

United States— 

(1) as a member of the Armed Forces; 

(2) as an astronaut and commander at NASA; and 

(3) while serving in other positions in the executive 

branch; 

Whereas General Stafford contributed immensely to the space 

race and the advancement of the United States in space 

policy and exploration; and 

Whereas General Stafford demonstrated extraordinary dedication and service to the United States throughout his 

distinguished career: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of Lieutenant 

3 General Thomas P. Stafford for his contributions to 

4 the Armed Forces and the space mission of the 

5 United States; and 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•SRES 646 ATS 

1 (2) extends its heartfelt condolences to the fam2 ily and friends of Lieutenant General Thomas P. 

3 Stafford. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB