A resolution honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Robert Lawrence Jr.

Bill: 115-sres-344
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2017-11-29
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Congressional tributes

Military personnel and dependents

Racial and ethnic relations

Space flight and exploration
Latest action: action_date: 2017-11-29
text: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S7490; text: CR S7407)

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-11-29
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Honors the life of Dr. Robert Lawrence, Jr., the first African-American astronaut selected for spaceflight. </p>

action_date: 2017-11-29
action_desc: Passed Senate without amendment
text: <p>(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)</p> <p>Honors the life of Dr. Robert Lawrence, Jr., the first African-American astronaut selected for spaceflight. </p>

tv_txt: III 115th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 344 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 29, 2017 Mr. Nelson (for himself, Mr. Rubio , Mr. Durbin , Mr. Cruz , Mr. Markey , Ms. Duckworth , and Mr. Thune ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Robert Lawrence Jr.

Whereas Robert Lawrence was born on October 2, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Englewood High School at the age of 16; Whereas Robert Lawrence began his Air Force career in the Reserve Officer Training Corps when he was a teenager attending Bradley University; Whereas Robert Lawrence received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bradley University in 1956; Whereas Robert Lawrence was commissioned a second lieutenant into the U.S. Air Force upon graduation at age 20; Whereas Robert Lawrence completed flight training at Malden Air Force Base in 1956 and was designated a U.S. Air Force pilot; Whereas Robert Lawrence was assigned as an instructor pilot for the German air force, flying T-33 trainers at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich; Whereas Robert Lawrence accrued over 2,500 hours of flight time with 2,000 of those hours in jets; Whereas Robert Lawrence earned his Ph.D. in 1965, after delivering his doctoral dissertation entitled “The Mechanism of the Tritium Beta-Ray Induced Exchange Reactions of Deuterium with Methane and Ethane in the Gas Phase”; Whereas Robert Lawrence was selected as an astronaut in the Department of Defense’s Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1967; Whereas Robert Lawrence was instrumental in compiling flight maneuver data that was used in the development of the Space Shuttle for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Whereas on December 8, 1967, Robert Lawrence died in a crash of an F-104 Starfighter at Edwards Air Force Base, leaving behind an inspiring career in the STEM field and spaceflight awareness to encourage a generation of young scientists and astronauts: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate honors the life of Dr. Robert Lawrence Jr., an Air Force Major, test pilot, and the first African-American astronaut selected for spaceflight.