IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 405 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission, and supporting the week of July 16 through July 20 as the Apollo 50 Celebration 

Week. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2019 

Ms. MATSUI (for herself, Mr. SHIMKUS, and Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, 

Space, and Technology 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission, and supporting the week of July 16 through July 

20 as the Apollo 50 Celebration Week. 

Whereas Congress enacted the Act of August 12, 1946 (60 

Stat. 997; ch. 955, 1), to establish a National Air Museum, later known as the Smithsonian’s National Air and 

Space Museum (NASM), to commemorate and memorialize the American story of human flight in the atmosphere and in outer space; 

Whereas Congress enacted the Act of July 29, 1958 (commonly known as the National Aeronautics and Space Act) 

(72 Stat. 426–438; 42 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.), to declare 

a policy of peaceful space activities designed for the benVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:22 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR405.IH HR405

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•HRES 405 IH 

efit of humankind and to establish the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); 

Whereas, in July of 1960, NASA announced the creation of 

the Apollo Program, the Nation’s first orchestrated initiative to ferry humankind out of Earth’s orbit and to the 

Moon; 

Whereas, on July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 Mission succeeded 

in landing the spacecraft Eagle on the surface of the 

Moon, piloted by two American astronauts, the first humans to ever make landfall on another celestial body; 

Whereas, on July 20 and 21, 1969, those brave Americans 

became the first humans to set foot on the surface of the 

Moon, forever changing Earth’s relationship with the 

heavens; 

Whereas this momentous event was watched in wonder by 

hundreds of millions of people back on Earth, including 

the hundreds of thousands of NASA civilian and military 

staff and partners who made the Apollo Program possible; 

Whereas the Apollo Program continued through December of 

1972 and spurred the greatest development of human scientific and technological understanding of any decade to 

that point, leading to advances in rocketry, spaceflight, 

avionics, telecommunications, and computers, on which 

the American public still relies today; 

Whereas the National Air and Space Museum opened on the 

American Bicentennial in July 1976 as a birthday gift to 

the country in celebration of the Nation’s highest 

achievements, under the leadership and vision of Museum 

Director, NASA astronaut, and Apollo 11 Command 

Module Pilot Michael Collins; 


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Whereas NASA continues to pursue space exploration on behalf of the American people to increase humankind’s understanding of the heavens; and 

Whereas the National Air and Space Museum continues to 

memorialize the history of American discovery and invention, and seeks to educate and inspire new generations of 

innovators and explorers to ensure that our future 

achievements in space are fully empowered by the 

achievements of the past: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) congratulates the National Aeronautics and 

3 Space Administration (NASA), the Apollo astro4 nauts, and the American people on the 50th anniver5 sary of the successful Apollo 11 Mission; 

6 (2) recognizes and celebrates the 50 years of 

7 cultural and technological history, legacy, and 

8 achievements of the Apollo Program; 

9 (3) recognizes the achievements of all the ad10 ministrators, astronauts, engineers, scientists, and 

11 staff members who contributed to the success of the 

12 Apollo Program; 

13 (4) reaffirms the commitment of the House of 

14 Representatives to the policy declared in 1958 of 

15 peaceful space exploration for the benefit of human16 kind; 

17 (5) applauds the culmination of a year’s long 

18 effort by the National Air and Space Museum to 


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1 lead a once-in-a-generation national conversation on 

2 the legacy of the Apollo Program and to challenge 

3 a new century of pioneers to take our next giant 

4 leap; 

5 (6) requests the Secretary, Smithsonian Institu6 tion, the Administrator, National Aeronautics and 

7 Space Administration, the Executive Secretary, Na8 tional Space Council, and the Secretary, Department 

9 of the Interior, to coordinate and make such appro10 priate arrangements as to express the Government’s 

11 recognition of the Apollo Program’s achievements in 

12 and around the Nation’s capital and the National 

13 Mall during the Apollo 50 Celebration Week; 

14 (7) requests the Secretary, Department of the 

15 Interior, to make unique and one-time arrangements 

16 for the display of NASA and Smithsonian artifacts, 

17 displays, digital content or film footage, as appro18 priate, in and around the vicinity of the National 

19 Mall, including the surface of the Washington Monu20 ment; and 

21 (8) respectfully requests that the Clerk of the 

22 House of Representatives transmit an enrolled copy 

23 of this resolution to the Secretary, Smithsonian InVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:22 May 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR405.IH HR405

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1 stitution and Director, National Air and Space Mu2 seum. 

Æ 


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