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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 547 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 547

Honoring the life of pioneering astronaut Dr. Sally Ride and expressing 
              the condolences of the Senate on her death.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2012

 Mrs. Boxer (for herself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
Rockefeller, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Coons, and Mr. 
 Boozman) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Honoring the life of pioneering astronaut Dr. Sally Ride and expressing 
              the condolences of the Senate on her death.

Whereas Dr. Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California;
Whereas Dr. Ride graduated high school from Westlake School for Girls in Los 
        Angeles in 1968, and received from Stanford University a Bachelor of 
        Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1973, a Master 
        of Science in 1975, and a doctorate degree in physics in 1978;
Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``NASA'') selected Dr. Ride as an astronaut candidate in 
        January of 1978;
Whereas Dr. Ride worked on the ground as a communications officer for the second 
        and third NASA space shuttle missions (STS-2 and STS-3) and helped 
        develop the robot arm used by shuttle crews;
Whereas, on June 18, 1983, Dr. Ride became the first woman from the United 
        States to travel in space when she served as a mission specialist for 
        space shuttle mission STS-7;
Whereas Dr. Ride also served as a mission specialist on space shuttle mission 
        STS 41-G, which launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center in 
        Florida, on October 5, 1984;
Whereas, in June of 1985, Dr. Ride was assigned to the crew of STS 61-M for 
        which mission training terminated in January of 1986, following the 
        space shuttle Challenger accident;
Whereas Dr. Ride served as a member of the Presidential Commission investigating 
        the space shuttle Challenger accident and, upon completing that 
        investigation, was assigned to NASA Headquarters as a Special Assistant 
        to the Administrator for long-range and strategic planning;
Whereas, in 1989, Dr. Ride joined the faculty at the University of California, 
        San Diego, as a Professor of Physics and Director of the California 
        Space Institute, a research unit at the University of California;
Whereas, following her passion of motivating girls and young women to pursue 
        careers in science, math, and technology, Dr. Ride founded her own 
        company, known as Sally Ride Science, in 2001, to create entertaining 
        science programs and publications for upper elementary and middle school 
        students, as well as their parents and teachers;
Whereas, as a long-time advocate for improved science education, Dr. Ride 
        initiated and directed education projects designed to fuel the 
        fascination of middle school students with science and wrote 5 science 
        books for children, entitled: To Space and Back, The Mystery of Mars, 
        Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System, Exploring Our 
        Solar System, and The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space;
Whereas Dr. Ride served as a member of the President's Counsel of Advisors on 
        Science and Technology, the Space Studies Board, and the Pacific Council 
        on International Policy;
Whereas Dr. Ride was a fellow of the American Physical Society and also served 
        on the boards of the Office of Technology Assessment, the Carnegie 
        Institution of Washington, the National Collegiate Athletic Association 
        Foundation, the Aerospace Corporation, and the California Institute of 
        Technology;
Whereas Dr. Ride was the only person to have served on commissions investigating 
        both the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia accidents; and
Whereas Dr. Ride has received numerous honors and awards, including induction 
        into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, 
        the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the Wernher von Braun Memorial 
        Award of the National Space Society, the Lindbergh Eagle Award, the 
        Theodore Roosevelt Award of the National Collegiate Athletic 
        Association, and 2 NASA Space Flight Medals: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses its deepest condolences to the family and 
        friends of Dr. Sally Ride on her death;
            (2) mourns the loss of Dr. Ride, a trailblazing pioneer who 
        inspired millions of individuals, especially women and girls, 
        to reach for the stars; and
            (3) appreciates all of the contributions of Dr. Ride to 
        science, physics, education, and human spaceflight.
                                 <all>
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