2017 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 66
BY SENATOR HEWITT
A RESOLUTION
To designate Thursday, May 4, 2017, as "NASA Day" at the state capitol and to extol the
accomplishments of NASA and the remarkable technical and scientific contributions
made to the state of Louisiana and the United States of America through the efforts
of the distinguished engineers, technicians, management, and support personnel
working at the Michoud Assembly Facility.
WHEREAS, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Michoud Assembly Facility
in New Orleans have been instrumental in the success of the United States Space Program
during the previous five decades, manufacturing the Saturn rockets for the Apollo program
and the external tanks for the Space Shuttle program from the 1970s until the program was
retired in 2011; and
WHEREAS, NASA and the state of Louisiana share a commitment to promoting the
growth of a well-trained aerospace workforce and sustaining the world-class manufacturing
capabilities at Michoud Assembly Facility where NASA is building the Space Launch
System (SLS) and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle that will usher in a new era of
exploration and discovery, taking mankind further than we have been before, during the
maiden flight in the next two years; and
WHEREAS, NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) share the
common goal of fostering aerospace-related, interdisciplinary, science, technology, and
engineering research in Louisiana schools, colleges, and universities to continue promoting
STEM education and jobs in the aerospace industry within Louisiana and inspiring a new
generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers to carry on NASA's mission of discovery;
and
WHEREAS, NASA and the state of Louisiana in 2012 signed a five-year extension
on an agreement, an investment worth $62 million, to continue supporting the National
Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which is located at Michoud and provides research and
advanced manufacturing technology for use in aerospace and commercial markets; and
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WHEREAS, NASA's Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business
Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program stimulates technological innovation by
encouraging small, high-tech companies, particularly minority and disadvantaged
businesses, to partner with NASA to help meet its research and development needs in key
technology areas, investing more than $2 million to date in nine Louisiana companies; and
WHEREAS, NASA spinoffs have benefitted Louisiana in the decontamination of
polluted soil and groundwater, providing forecasting models for storm surge predictions,
weather models, and fishing hotspots, enabling the remote transfer of high-speed digital data,
and lowering costs and reducing manufacturing time for the prosthetics industry; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of the state of Louisiana are indeed exceedingly proud of
their state's critical role in the United States Space Program and the tremendous advances
in space exploration and scientific progression its cooperation with NASA has produced.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby designate Thursday, May 4, 2017, as "NASA Day" at the state capitol and does
hereby extol the accomplishments of NASA and the remarkable technical and scientific
contributions made to the state of Louisiana and the United States of America through the
efforts of the distinguished engineers, technicians, management, and support personnel
working at the Michoud Assembly Facility, all of whom have achieved distinction beyond
measure.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
center director Todd May.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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