HRES 1269 IH 
Whereas Galileo was appointed Chief Philosopher and Mathe-
matician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de’ 
Medici II, his patron; 
Whereas Galileo had an integral role in the Scientific Revolu-
tion of the 17th Century due to his major contributions 
as a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philoso-
pher; 
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 bod-
ies, and the parabolic paths of projectiles and his obser-
vations of astronomical bodies were scientific advances; 
Whereas his inventions, the enhanced telescope; hydrostatic 
balance; geometric and military compass; thermoscope 
(thermometer); perfected compound microscope; pulsilogi-
um (pulsiometer), enabled practical applications in the 
fields of military and civil engineering, navigation, medi-
cine, and astronomy; 
Whereas his newly designed instruments of measurement, 
coupled with his theory that the natural world was writ-
ten 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 cer-
tain 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; 
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HRES 1269 IH 
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 genera-
tions, 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, tech-
nology, and space exploration, resulting in the betterment 
of mankind; 
Whereas the United States of America has previously hon-
ored the scientist through naming a research aircraft, 
‘‘Galileo’’, commissioned for the Eclipse Expedition in 
1965, and naming one of its major interplanetary mis-
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; 
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HRES 1269 IH 
Whereas the United Nations ‘‘The International Year of As-
tronomy 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, Smithso-
nian Institution, Franklin Institute in Philiadelphia, 
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 Astron-
omy 2009’’ with numerous public programs, publications, 
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 ob-
servation 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 under-
standing of his place in the cosmos, and that the Congress 
of the United States of America joins the world in celebra-
tion of ‘‘The International Year of Astronomy’’. 
Æ 
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