H.R. No. 2105
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The members of the Graham High School Rocketeer
Steers team distinguished themselves by placing 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; with
their third-place finish, the members each received an educational
grant sponsored by the U.S. Air Force STEM Program and the United
Launch Alliance; and
WHEREAS, Benefiting from the guidance of team director
Michelle Lowery, the members of the Rocketeer Steers are Connor
Wolfe, Nicholas Saunders, Jonah Qualls, Smith Graham, and Garrett
Gatlin; and
WHEREAS, With their fine performance on the national stage,
these notable young Texans have garnered the respect of their
classmates and fellow competitors, and the confidence, skills, and
experience they have gained through the StellarXplorers program
will be of great use to them in their future endeavors; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the members of the Graham High
School Rocketeer Steers on their third-place finish in the 2017
StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge and extend
to the squad's members and director sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the team as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Springer
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2105 was adopted by the House on May
25, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House