Senate Concurrent Resolution 634

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WELCOMING NASA ASTRONAUT MAJOR NICOLE VICTORIA AUNAPU MANN, (MAJOR IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS,) TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI ON THE OCCASION OF THE PARTNERS FOR STENNIS SPACE CENTER CAPITOL DAY.

WHEREAS, on March 22, 2016, the Partners for Stennis will present the Stennis Space Center Capitol Day event in honor of NASA Astronaut Major Nicole Aunapu Mann; and

WHEREAS, Partners for Stennis is a volunteer group who advocate for space, earth and ocean exploration. Its members are from regional Chambers of Commerce, economic development foundations, businesses, educational institutions, local governments, community groups and individual citizens who desire to encourage development of the NASA-Stennis Space Center, a unique federal and commercial city that is home to more than 30 federal, state, academic and private organizations and numerous technology-based companies. For more than four decades, Stennis has served as America's largest rocket test complex. Located in Hancock County, Mississippi, on the Louisiana border, the workforce of 4,500 civil servants, contractors, scientists and engineers provide a significant source of employment and income in the two-state region; and

WHEREAS, Nicole Mann is a (Major in the United States Marine Corps). Originally from Penngrove, California, she is a graduate of the U.S. Navel Academy, Stanford University and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Mann is an F/A-18 Fighter Jet Pilot and completed Astronaut Candidate training in July 2015. Mann grew up in Penngrove, California, and attended Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, California. Her father told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat that she did not show much interest in space as a child, but decided during her junior year in high school that she would attend the U.S. Naval Academy after graduation; and

WHEREAS, Major Mann graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy before earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She completed U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and went on to serve in Iraq. Before being accepted to NASA's Astronaut Training program, she was stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland as an F/A-18 Fighter Jet Pilot. In 2013, she was one of eight candidates selected from more than 6,300 applicants to train as a potential astronaut for NASA. NASA has said that Mann could be one of the first astronauts sent on a mission to an asteroid, or to Mars; and

WHEREAS, the Stennis facility has been responsible for testing all of the engines used in manned Apollo flights and in space shuttle missions. It currently has a vibrant role in testing the next generation of rocket engines to be used in America's space program. NASA's progress toward a return to deep space missions continues with a new round of upcoming tests on the next-generation J-2X rocket engine, which will help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) to new destinations in the solar system; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize NASA Astronaut Major Nicole Victoria Aunapu Mann from the Class of 2013, and the contributions of the Stennis Space Center to the economy of the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby welcome NASA Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann (Major in the United States Marine Corps) to the State of Mississippi on the occasion of the Partners for Stennis Space Center Capitol Day on March 22, 2016, and extend our best wishes to Nicole and the administration and employees of the Stennis Space Center on this auspicious occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Nicole Aunapu Mann and the Executive Director of the Stennis Space Center, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.