IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1122 
Honoring the life and legacy of General Thomas P. Stafford. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 9, 2024 
Mr. LUCAS (for himself, Mr. HERN, Mr. BRECHEEN, Mr. COLE, and Mrs. 
BICE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and legacy of General Thomas P. Stafford. 
Whereas General Thomas Patten Stafford was born in 
Weatherford, Oklahoma, on September 17, 1930, to 
Thomas and Mary Ellen Stafford; 
Whereas General Stafford graduated with honors from the 
United States Naval Academy in 1952, after which he 
joined the newly formed United States Air Force; 
Whereas General Stafford entered the United States Air 
Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air 
Force Base in 1958 and graduated in 1959, receiving the 
A.B. Honts Award as the outstanding graduate, and 
thereafter becoming an instructor and writing flight per-
formance and aerodynamics textbooks for the school; 
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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 General Stafford developed techniques for and pi-
loted Gemini VI in 1965, completing the first rendezvous 
in space, and commanded Gemini IX in 1966, dem-
onstrating 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, per-
formed reconnaissance of future Apollo landing sites, and 
completed each of the essential steps in the final prepara-
tion 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 Trust-
ees (commonly known as an ‘‘Emmy’’) Award for initi-
ating development of and taking the first colored images 
from space; 
Whereas General Stafford set the record for the fastest speed 
traveled by a human during the return of the Apollo 10 
mission, a record standing today and documented in the 
Guinness World Book of Records, at 24,791 miles per 
hour, or Mach 36; 
Whereas General Stafford’s final space mission took place in 
1975 as commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 
during which General Stafford and Cosmonaut Alexei 
Leonov shook hands upon docking, completing the first 
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international space flight and helping set into motion the 
end of the cold war; 
Whereas General Stafford received the Nobel Peace Prize 
nomination for his role in the final space mission in 
1975; 
Whereas General Stafford left NASA in 1975 to serve as 
Commander of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air 
Force Base; 
Whereas General Stafford, as Air Force Deputy Chief of 
Staff for Research, Development, and Acquisition, estab-
lished requirements for, and initiated development of, the 
first stealth aircraft, the F–117A, which was the only 
stealth attack aircraft in the world for 25 years, and ini-
tiated the Air Force roadmap for the air superiority 
fighter still in use today; 
Whereas, just before his retirement in 1979, General Stafford 
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 today, and initiated the development of the AGM– 
129 Advanced Cruise Missile; 
Whereas, from 1991 to 1993, General Stafford led NASA’s 
efforts 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 inter-
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 air-
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craft and helicopters during his career, along with 4 
kinds of spacecraft and 3 types of boosters; 
Whereas General Stafford has advised several Presidents on 
space policy; 
Whereas General Stafford has given a lifetime of service to 
the United States as a member of the Armed Forces, at 
NASA, and in other positions within 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 dedi-
cation and service to the United States throughout his 
distinguished career: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 
the life and legacy of General Thomas P. Stafford. 
Æ 
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