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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is the |
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American headquarters for the International Space Station, one of |
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the most impressive scientific and engineering achievements in |
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history; and |
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WHEREAS, A joint project of NASA, the Russian Federal Space |
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Agency, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and |
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the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the ISS is the result of a |
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remarkable collaboration between 15 countries, sharing the most |
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advanced technologies in the world for the peaceful and productive |
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use of space, and thousands of Texas workers have contributed |
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greatly to this success; and |
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WHEREAS, The largest structure that humans have ever put into |
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space, the ISS is made up of pressurized modules held together by |
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external trusses and powered by a vast array of solar panels; the |
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station is the length of a football field, and the solar array has |
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the wingspan of a Boeing 777; orbiting the globe every 92 minutes at |
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an altitude of roughly 250 miles, the ISS is large enough to be seen |
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from the surface of the Earth by the naked eye; and |
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WHEREAS, Since November 2000, the ISS has been continuously |
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occupied by international teams of astronauts who, during that |
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time, have conducted thousands of experiments in a microgravity |
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environment, focusing on human health, space studies, engineering |
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development, materials testing, and global education; these |
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experiments are helping develop NASA's capabilities for such |
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long-duration, deep-space missions as a trip to Mars and back, and |
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are assisting businesses, other government agencies, and |
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university researchers develop knowledge and products that have and |
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will result in benefits to humanity for years to come; and |
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WHEREAS, With its many ongoing research projects and its |
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educational outreach touching the lives of people around the world, |
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the International Space Station is one of the global community's |
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most successful programs, helping to improve life on Earth even as |
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it inspires our species to reach for the stars; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend NASA for its achievements as part of the |
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International Space Station program and extend to the many Texans |
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who have given to it so much of their skill, effort, and passion |
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sincere best wishes for continued success in their important work; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for NASA as an expression of high regard by the Texas House |
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of Representatives. |