Ralph Hall: “it is 35 years ago this month, May 5, 1961, that a young man named Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into…”

“it is 35 years ago this month, May 5, 1961, that a young man named Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space. His 15-minute suborbital flight was the first milestone in a journey that has taken Americans to the moon, has led to the development of the world's first reusable spaceship, the space shuttle, and will soon result in American scientists and engineers conducting important research on the international space station. Our citizens take great pride in what our Nation has achieved in the human space flight, and we look forward to what lies ahead. We have some concerns, of course, about what lies ahead. The U.S. space program is not just about men and women in space. I think ever since the dawn of the space age the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been pushing back the boundaries of knowledge and sending robotic spacecraft to almost every planet in the solar system, observing other stars and galaxies with space-based observatories and probing the very complexities of our own planet's atmosphere, our oceans, and our climate. I think all of these achievements have been very impressive, but NASA's world class capabilities did not just come out of thin air, they are the result of investments by the American people, and that is why I am troubled a little bit about the bill the Members have before us today.”