Ranking Member Johnson Statement on New Horizons Pluto Flyby

(Washington, DC) – Tonight, the New Horizons mission team received the probe’s “phone home” confirming the successful flyby of Pluto.

Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said: “I am elated and quite proud to congratulate NASA and the New Horizons team on a successful flyby. This has truly been a historic mission. It was exciting to see increasingly detailed images taken by New Horizons as the spacecraft approached Pluto, and I look forward to seeing the data that will come in the days and months ahead. This mission brings to close an important chapter in planetary exploration that will live on as one of NASA’s greatest accomplishments. Starting in 1962 with the Mariner mission to Venus, the United States has carried out an ambitious and highly successful exploration of our solar system, exploration that I hope and trust will continue in the years ahead. NASA’s accomplishments speak for themselves, but this is just another reminder of what we can achieve when this nation invests in science and innovation. As a strong supporter of American leadership in space exploration, in part because of the way it inspires our youth to excel, I hope Congress will return to the era of bipartisan support and robust funding for NASA’s work.”

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