H.R. No. 2104
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Nicolas Saunders has made valuable contributions to
the Graham High School Rocketeer Steers team, which placed third in
the StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge held
in Colorado April 6-8, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Established by the Air Force Association,
StellarXplorers helps promote student engagement in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics through a challenging
space-system design competition; the contest began in October 2016
with more than 130 teams registered from 30 states and 2 overseas
locations, and Graham High School advanced to the national event
after outstanding showings in the qualifying and semifinals rounds;
and
WHEREAS, In the finals, the squad faced off against nine
other teams, completing an exercise that involved meeting a set of
space-mission requirements; the Rocketeer Steers had eight hours to
define an optimal satellite orbit, select spacecraft components,
and choose rocket boosters, and the next day, they presented a
briefing about their solution to a panel of expert judges; and
WHEREAS, With his team's third-place finish, Mr. Saunders
received an educational grant sponsored by the U.S. Air Force STEM
Program and the United Launch Alliance; after graduating in May
2017, he plans to attend Midwestern University and study mechanical
engineering; and
WHEREAS, Through his fine performance on the national stage,
this notable young Texan has garnered the respect of his classmates
and fellow competitors, and the confidence, skills, and experience
he has gained in the StellarXplorers program will be of great use to
him in his future endeavors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Nicolas Saunders on placing third
in the 2017 StellarXplorers III National High School Space
Challenge as a member of the Graham High School Rocketeer Steers and
extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Saunders as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Springer
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2104 was adopted by the House on May
25, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House