H. Res. 1269 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

May 4, 2010. 

Whereas 2009 is the 400th anniversary of the first use of the 

improved telescope capable of astronomical observations 

by its developer, the Italian Renaissance scientist Galileo 

Galilei; 

Whereas Galileo, born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564, was educated 

at the University of Pisa where he became Professor of 

Mathematics; 

Whereas he attained life tenure as Chair of Mathematics at 

University of Padua; 

Whereas Galileo was appointed Chief Philosopher and Mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de’ 

Medici II, his patron; 

Whereas Galileo had an integral role in the Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century due to his major contributions 

as a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher; 

Whereas Galileo is universally regarded as the ‘‘Father of 

Modern Astronomy’’, ‘‘Father of Modern Physics’’, and 

‘‘Father of Modern Science’’; 

Whereas his experiments on the laws of motion, falling bodies, and the parabolic paths of projectiles and his observations of astronomical bodies were scientific advances; 
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Whereas his inventions, the enhanced telescope; hydrostatic 

balance; geometric and military compass; thermoscope 

(thermometer); perfected compound microscope; pulsilogium (pulsiometer), enabled practical applications in the 

fields of military and civil engineering, navigation, medicine, and astronomy; 

Whereas his newly designed instruments of measurement, 

coupled with his theory that the natural world was written in the language of mathematics, laid the groundwork 

for modern scientific method and research; 

Whereas Galileo’s use of his telescope, the central instrument 

of the Scientific Revolution, enabled his discovery of certain features of the surface of the moon, the moons of 

Jupiter, the phases and motion of Venus, and sunspots; 

Whereas these findings confirmed that the Copernican Sun 

Centered Solar System was plausible; 

Whereas this changed human understanding of the cosmos; 

Whereas Galileo published his theories and findings in several 

treatises, letters, and books, most importantly, Siderius 

Nuncius and the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief 

World Systems; 

Whereas Galileo’s body of work enabled subsequent generations, in particular in the United States, to build on the 

tradition of scientific research, to be in the forefront of 

new scientific endeavors, specifically in medicine, technology, and space exploration, resulting in the betterment 

of mankind; 

Whereas the United States of America has previously honored the scientist through naming a research aircraft, 

‘‘Galileo’’, commissioned for the Eclipse Expedition in 

1965, and naming one of its major interplanetary mis-
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sions, the Galileo Expedition to Jupiter, launched in 

1989 and ending its 14-year odyssey in 2003; 

Whereas America also has built on the legacy of Galileo with 

NASA’s most successful long-term science mission, the 

launch in 1990 of the Hubble Space Telescope, which 

contributes to our understanding of the universe; 

Whereas as part of NASA’s tribute to Galileo, a replica of 

Galileo’s telescope, provided by the Istituto e Museo di 

Storia della Scienza, Florence, Italy, was carried into 

space by Italian American astronaut, Michael Massimino, 

on the May 2009 Atlantis mission to repair and update 

the orbiting Hubble telescope; 

Whereas 2009 also marks the 40th anniversary of the moon 

landing by the Apollo 11 astronauts, which gave mankind 

first hand knowledge of the moon’s surface, first observed 

in detail when Galileo turned his telescope to the sky in 

1609; 

Whereas the United Nations ‘‘The International Year of Astronomy 2009’’ is a global effort with over 140 countries 

participating, initiated by the International Astronomical 

Union (IAU) and UNESCO, at the request of Italy, 

Galileo’s native country; and 

Whereas organizations, educational institutions, government 

entities, most notably in Italy, Istituto e Museo di Storia 

della Scienza and in the United States, NASA, Smithsonian Institution, Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, 

Italian Embassy and Italian Consulates, National Italian 

American Foundation and Italian Heritage and Culture 

Committee of New York, Inc., are celebrating the genius 

of Galileo Galilei and ‘‘The International Year of Astronomy 2009’’ with numerous public programs, publications, 
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symposia, proclamation ceremonies, and tributes to 

Galileo and his legacy: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Congress of the United States of 

America commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first use 

of the telescope by Galileo Galilei for astronomical observation and marks this discovery as one of the major events impacting mankind, and expresses its gratitude for Galileo’s expansion of the universe and mankind’s understanding of his 

place in the cosmos, and that the Congress of the United 

States of America joins the world in celebration of ‘‘The 

International Year of Astronomy’’. 

Attest: 

Clerk.