Mr. Speaker, for thousands of years people have looked to the heavens and wondered. What was up there? What were the dots of light scattered on the hemisphere of the night sky? What is our place in all of this?
The moon, the planets and the stars became part of ancient religions. Heroes were immortalized as constellations. Planets, whose irregular movements and brightness set them apart from the stars, were named after gods. Celestial events foretold the death of kings; they augured victory in war.
But for our ancestors, the changing sky also had a practical effect. For millennia, the movements of the moon and stars guided the rhythms of human life; they told people when to plant and when to harvest. Wars were planned based on the phases of the moon.
Even as they wondered, planted, harvested, and fought in keeping with the seasons, people dreamed of visiting these other worlds, of expanding humanity’s realm, of satisfying the human yearning to explore. The telescope, which Galileo first turned to the heavens in 1609, changed our view of the cosmos. The myriad points of light began to resolve themselves into planets with moons, galaxies, nebulae, and clusters of stars. The universe, which had seemed static, was revealed as a place of infinite distance and incredible dynamism. Our view of space and of ourselves was changed forever.
It would be another 450 years before human beings could begin to take our first forays from the protective cocoon of Earth. Throughout that time, telescopes grew larger and more powerful; astronomers learned more about the solar system, our galaxy, and the tens of millions of other galaxies throughout the universe. Still, even as the moon and our nearby planetary neighbors tantalized us, they seemed hopelessly out of reach.
With the development of large rockets after World War II, humans were finally able to escape the Earth’s gravity and venture into space. During the past half-century, from the grapefruit-sized Explorer I, which was America’s first satellite, to the International Space Station, now being built two hundred miles above us, we have begun to learn how to operate in the harsh environs of space.
Throughout its existence, America’s space program has operated on dual tracks. On the one hand, we have stressed human spaceflight, which is costly and dangerous. With the exception of the Apollo lunar landing missions, humans have not ventured beyond the relative safety of low-Earth orbit. The other track that we have followed is the robotic exploration of our solar system, using spacecraft that are impervious to the harsh conditions of space and unaffected by the enormous distances necessary to explore our planetary neighbors.
Our unmanned space probes, from the Ranger and Surveyor craft that paved the way for Apollo, to the Voyager spacecraft that explored the outer planets and are still continuing to send back data even as they leave the solar system, have increased our comprehension beyond anything even contemplated half a century ago.
On Mars, we have witnessed dust storms on Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the solar system. We have peered through Venus’s clouds at its broiling surface. We have discovered new moons and ring systems around the outer planets.
As we speak, a small spacecraft bearing dust from a comet is zooming back towards Earth and will parachute into Utah on January 15, 2006.
This summer, the Cassini spacecraft will enter the orbit of Saturn and will dispatch a small probe, named Huygens, to explore the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, has designed, built and controlled all of these programs. JPL has been the pioneer of our exploration of the solar system from the beginning of our space program. Earlier, I mentioned JPL’s Explorer I, America’s first satellite. At the time that it was launched, the United States had fallen behind the Soviet Union in the space race and several other attempts at getting an “American Sputnik” into orbit had ended in fiery explosions on the launch pad. Not only did Explorer I salvage our pride, but the tiny satellite discovered the Van Allen radiation belts that circle the Earth.
Every American space probe that has visited another planet was managed by JPL. Through the wonders of technology, we have zoomed by Jupiter with Voyager, witnessed a Martian sunset with Viking, and rolled across the surface of Mars with Sojourner.
Whom do we have to thank for unlocking the wonders of the solar system? For providing brilliant three-dimensional images of the Martian surface and for making us desire greater discoveries? For this, we must thank the women and men of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Each day, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Elachi, the employees of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory work tirelessly to develop and manage America’s robotic exploration of space.
Mr. Speaker, they have done it again. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has brought America back to Mars. I am proud to join my distinguished colleague, neighbor, and Chairman of the Rules Committee, Mr. Dreier, in introducing this resolution honoring the men and women of NASA, and especially the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, whose years of effort paid off so spectacularly when the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, landed on January 3rd.
Mr. Speaker, led by Principal Investigator, Steve Squyres, Jet Propulsion Laboratory employees like Peter Theisinger, Richard Cook, Rob Manning, Jennifer Trosper, Mark Adler, Jim Erickson, Matt Wallace, Joy Crisp, Joel Krajewski, Jason Willis, Jim Donaldson, and Jan Chodas have worked around the clock since Spirit’s arrival on Mars.
Spirit, the first of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Rovers to land on Mars – Spirit’s twin Opportunity is scheduled to touch down on January 24th – will conduct a three-month scientific study to evaluate whether conditions would have at one time been suitable for life on Mars.
Equipped with cameras, spectrometers, and a grinder, these robotic explorers are poised to unlock the mysteries of Mars. The breadth of their discoveries is yet unknown, but our confidence in their abilities and the abilities of the scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who now live not according to the cycles of their fellow Earthlings, but in keeping with the Martian day, is sky high.
Mr. Speaker, Spirit’s landing is another milestone in our exploration of the solar system. Let us take a moment to reflect on this occasion and honor those who made it possible. For tomorrow, our thirst is renewed and our exploration continues.