| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 276 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | opened a new chapter in space exploration with the successful |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | launch of the Artemis I mission on November 16, 2022; and |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Propelled by NASA's Space Launch System rocket, |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | the uncrewed Orion spacecraft took off from Kennedy Space Center |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | in Cape Canaveral at 12:47 a.m.; during the 25-day mission, Orion |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | traveled almost 270,000 miles from Earth and performed two lunar |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | flybys that brought it within 80 miles of the moon's surface; |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | after remaining in space longer than any other spacecraft |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | designed for a human crew, Orion returned to Earth and landed |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | safely in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California, Mexico, on |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | December 11 at 9:40 a.m.; though Artemis I launched from Florida, |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | the Johnson Space Center in Houston was responsible for the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | design, development, and testing of the Orion spacecraft and |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | assumed control of the flight as soon as the rocket's engines |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | ignited; and |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, This historic mission was the first test flight of |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | the Artemis Program; named for Apollo's twin sister and the |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, the program is set to |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | establish the first long-term human and robotic presence on and |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | around the moon, with an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Gateway in lunar orbit; moreover, future missions will provide |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | the opportunity for the first woman and the first person of color |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | to land on the moon and for NASA to prepare for human missions to |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | Mars; and |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Through the Artemis Program, NASA is expanding |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | our understanding of what humans can accomplish, and the success |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | of Artemis I is indeed a cause for celebration as we set our |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | sights on new horizons of scientific achievement; now, |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | therefore, be it |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | Legislature, hereby commemorate the launch of the Artemis I |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | mission and extend to NASA and all those involved in the Artemis |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | Program sincere best wishes for continued success with their |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | important work; and, be it further |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | prepared for NASA as an expression of high regard from the |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | Texas Senate. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | Middleton |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | President of the Senate |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | I hereby certify that the |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | the Senate on March 7, 2023. |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | Secretary of the Senate |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | ________________________________ |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | Member, Texas Senate |
|---|