Date: 2005-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on the second anniversary of the tragic crash that took the lives of seven courageous astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. I ask all of my colleagues in the Congress to join me in paying tribute to our fallen heroes. The seven.- astronauts whose lives were lost aboard the space shuffle Columbia were extraordinary people. To the world those astronauts were valiant heroes. to us in Texas they were also friends. neighbors. and family. They made the ultimate sacrifice on a mission that benefited all of humanity. They deserve the highest level of honor. and their sacrifice and dedication must be commemorated in a way that will serve to inspire the next generation of explorers. Those that we remember today are: (1) Rick D. Husband. (2) Michael P. Anderson. (3) Laurel Clark. (4) David M. Brown. (5) William C. McCool. (6) Kapana Chawla. and (7) Ilan Ramon. These astronauts were individuals of the highest caliber. always striving for excellence. and exemplifying the most noble of human traits. They were skilled professionals. scientists. clinicians. adventurers. and family men and women. The crew represented the diversity of our Nationblack and white. men and women. immigrant and nativeborn. and included a comrade from Israel embodying the international goals of peace and cooperation. The Columbia crew was deeply committee to the NASA mission. NASA provides insights into the origins. destiny. and wonder of the universe and is a source of dreams for young and old alike. These seven courageous explorers paid the ultimate price to improve our understanding of the universe. to advance our medical and engineering sciences. and to make the Nation safer and more secure. Before the Columbia started its tragic descent. the shuttle crew completed some 80 scientific experiments. Much of their research data had already been relayed to Houston where it has added to the pool of scientific knowledge. In the 108th Congress. I introduce legislation that would have authorized the issuance of Congressional Gold Medals to commemorate our fallen heroes on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Three hundred eighteen of my colleagues in the House of Representatives joined me in the cosponsorship of that legislation. Nevertheless. the bill never made it to a vote. I have reintroduced the bill in the 109th Congress authorizing the coinage of a Gold Medal to pay proper tribute to our astronauts. Unfortunately. untimely and ill conceived legislation also before the 109th Congress which purports to "provide reasonable standards for congressional gold medals" essentially limits the bestowal of this honor to American icons. One of the main reasons that the medal is bestowed is to make the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. H.R. 54 will summarily restrict this goal and prevent many honored heroes from receiving proper recognition. Provisions in H.R. 54 will specifically exclude the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the. Columbia astronauts. I hope that my colleagues in this esteemed body will join me in helping to pass legislation that will properly honor our Columbia heroes. I also ask my colleagues to help ensure that those deserving can be recognized by Congress through the issuance of Gold Medals. The tragedy that occurred two years ago serves as a wakeup call for a new look at spacecraft safety. NASA has made good progress identifying the causes of the Columbia crash and is designing approaches for the Shuttles return to flight. I have called for detailed safety analyses of he International Space Station (ISS) and hope that my colleagues will work with me in developing legislation that will authorize a safety audit of the ISS that will address the same level of detail addressed by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.