Sherwood Boehlert: “what a pleasure it is to come to the floor, as I just left Colonel Eileen Collins and Wendy Lawrence and the rest of the…”

“what a pleasure it is to come to the floor, as I just left Colonel Eileen Collins and Wendy Lawrence and the rest of the STS-114 crew; and they are an inspiration to all of us, not just those of us in this Chamber but to people around the world. I stand today in support of the resolution offered by my colleague and good friend from the great State of New York (Mrs. Maloney). This resolution recognizes the valuable contributions that women have made at NASA and particularly praises those who played a role in the success of STS-114. The accomplishments of the STS crew are the result of a rich history of women in NASA. Long before STS-114 women like Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to perform a space walk; Mae Jemison, the first African American in space; and Shannon Lucid, the previous American record holder for the length of time spent in space on a single mission, they pushed the boundaries of human space flight. Women have also paid a dear price in the name of human space flight. Christa McAuliffe, Judith Resnick, Kalpana Chawla, and Laurel Clark will always be remembered for their courage and heroism. And Eileen Collins and Wendy Lawrence and the rest of STS-114 crew stand on the shoulders of those great women who came before them, and this resolution rightly recognizes that fact. Once again, I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs.…”