David Weldon: “today I wish all the best for NASA and the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery and the men and women of Kennedy Space…”

“today I wish all the best for NASA and the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery and the men and women of Kennedy Space Center on attempting to launch tomorrow. Those of us who support the program understand how critically important it is for the United States to have a continuing human presence in space. After the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia in February of 2003, we have not been able to launch our astronauts into space for almost 2\1/ 2\ years. With a successful launch tomorrow, we will once again show the world that our program and the dedicated people behind it are second to none and that our space shuttle fleet is unrivaled when it comes to technology and mission capability. This launch will be an important first step, a first step in the new vision for space exploration articulated by President Bush in January of 2004, a vision that is not only taking us back to low Earth orbit and the space station but that will lead us back to the Moon and one day on to Mars. Again, I know I speak for all Americans when we wish the crew of Discovery God speed and a safe mission. ____________________”