Honoring the life and legacy of General Thomas P. Stafford.

This resolution honors the life and legacy of General Thomas P. Stafford.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1122 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 
                      Committee 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 performance and 
        aerodynamics textbooks for the school;
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 piloted Gemini VI in 1965, 
        completing the first rendezvous in space, and commanded Gemini IX in 
        1966, demonstrating 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, performed reconnaissance of future Apollo landing sites, 
        and completed each of the essential steps in the final preparation 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 Trustees (commonly known as an ``Emmy'') Award 
        for initiating 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 
        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, established 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 
        initiated 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 international 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 aircraft 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 dedication 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.
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