Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement in response to the final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.  There are no plans for astronauts to be sent into space from U.S. soil for at least three years.  NASA has indicated an intention to go to Mars or to an asteroid as the next mission.

“For 30 years, we have been thrilled, shocked, amazed and saddened by the space shuttle program.  It has seen triumphs, such as the joint missions to the International Space Station, and it has born witness to horrible tragedies.  This chapter in our country’s space exploration is closed, and I look forward to see what new adventures will emerge in the future.  Dave Scott, the Commander of Apollo 15 and the seventh man to walk on the Moon once said, ‘…Man must explore . . . and this is exploration at its greatest.’  He said that forty years ago this month, and it is remains true today.  It is in our nature to explore, and there is a whole lot more left to explore.

“I applaud NASA and the brave American astronauts for three decades of the shuttle program, and anticipate many more decades of thrills.”

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