Whereas President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, before a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, declared that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth ; Whereas, on July 20, 1969, the world’s attention was riveted on the historic achievement of the first landing, footsteps, and exploration of our Moon; Whereas the 9-day mission of Apollo 11 kept the world spellbound from its July 16th launch through its July 24th splashdown, securing its place among the epic voyages of human history with those of Magellan, Drake, Columbus, and others; Whereas United States national space policy provides for a United States-led, integrated program with commercial and international partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond; Whereas the purpose of the United States space program is, and has always been, the peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of all humanity; Whereas the United States space program has provided immense scientific and technological benefits affecting a multitude of aspects of 21st century life for all humanity; Whereas the United States space program, through otherworldly programs such as Apollo, Viking, Voyager, Cassini-Huygens, Spirit, Opportunity, New Horizons and other missions to the planets, the Space Shuttle, the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and other great space efforts, have provided our Nation with unparalleled scientific and technological leadership in the space, aeronautics, medical, and engineering sciences; Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States aerospace industry, and educational institutions throughout the Nation contribute enormously to our Nation’s intellectual capacity through research and development in support of the space program, and add great strength to the United States economy