House Majority Whip McCarthy: recognizing some of the pioneers of NASA and Edwards Air Force Base

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip from Bakersfield, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill:

 "On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and into the history books. But long before he accomplished this amazing feat, he was a young man with a dream working right here in our backyard.  In fact, Armstrong spent many of his early years training at NASA’s primary test flight test

facility at Edwards Air Force Base—as an aeronautical research scientist and a test pilot—and this week, the very center where he trained was renamed in his honor.


"The test range also is now named for Hugh Dryden, a titan of American aeronautics in his own right. Dryden oversaw the research and development of the revolutionary X-15 rocket aircraft, and his expertise was so valued that he was appointed the first deputy administrator of NASA.  His work paved the way for individuals like Neil Armstrong and the many accomplishments in aerospace today.


"On Tuesday, I joined with members of NASA to celebrate the lives and legacies of these American heroes.  It was a wonderful ceremony, and I was happy to see so many members of the Armstrong and Dryden families and the Antelope Valley community on hand for the dedication.


I "t took many years of hard work and many devoted individuals to make this a reality. I would like to especially thank Cathy Hart and members of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade for their tireless efforts in seeing this task through.

"When asked about his years at NASA’s flight test facility, Armstrong described it as a place of “enormous curiosity, wonderful intensity, and unbelievable willingness to attempt the impossible.” I have no doubt that the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center and the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautic Test Range will continue to foster this same imaginative and competitive spirit and inspire the next generation of aerospace leaders that will emerge from its ranks.