On Wednesday the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, commemorating the 65th anniversary of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
Opened in 1960 at the onset of the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the MSFC became the leading site for NASA’s development of rockets designed to carry humans into space, including the Saturn rockets used to launch Americans to the moon. The MSFC has also managed the development of Skylab, America’s first space station; built the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory; participated in the construction of the International Space Station; and played a leading role in nearly every aspect of American space exploration.
Britt and Tuberville’s resolution commends the work done at the MSFC over the past 65 years and calls on the Senate to commit its continued support to NASA and the American spaceflight program.
“The Senate commemorates the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Marshall Space Flight Center… recognizes the historical legacy and critical contributions of MSFC to the leadership of the United States in space exploration over the past 65 years; commends the continued excellence and leadership of the MSFC in the development and integration of the Space Launch System… as the leading technology for deep space exploration; reaffirms the strong support of the Senate for the ongoing mission of the MSFC and the broader goals of the Artemis program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration… and beyond; and honors the commitment, skill, and innovation of the engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff who have contributed to the mission of MSFC to advance spaceflight for the United States,” the resolution reads.
Britt celebrated the resolution’s passage in an official statement Wednesday.
“I’m thrilled to see this resolution recognizing the 65th anniversary of Marshall Space Flight Center pass the Senate. The U.S. space program is vitally important, and Alabama and MSFC continue to play an integral role in redefining the boundaries of human imagination and the heights of human achievement,” Britt said. “As the incredible men and women at Marshall continue to make historic leaps that fuel a new age of American excellence in space exploration, I will continue to ensure that this groundbreaking work is supported now and long into the future. I’m grateful to join our entire delegation in elevating Alabama’s unparalleled ingenuity and empowering the future of space flight.”
An identical resolution carried by U.S. Representative Dale Strong, R-Alabama, in the House of Representatives is currently awaiting passage.
