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2016 SESSION
16101593DWHEREAS, Kjell Lindgren, a flight engineer with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, returned safely to Earth on December 11, 2015, after five months in orbit at the International Space Station; and
WHEREAS, Kjell Lindgren was reared in Fairfax County and graduated as valedictorian of Robinson Secondary School, where he was a star three-sport athlete; he also earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America; and
WHEREAS, after earning a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, Kjell Lindgren went on to earn three master’s degrees from Colorado State University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Texas; he also earned a medical degree from the University of Colorado and is certified in emergency and aerospace medicine; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Kjell Lindgren fulfilled a childhood dream to explore outer space when he was selected from a pool of 3,500 applicants to take part in Expeditions 44 and 45 to the International Space Station; he became the sixth alumnus of Fairfax County Public Schools to visit outer space when he launched from Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz rocket; and
WHEREAS, during his 141-day mission aboard the International Space Station, Kjell Lindgren and his fellow crew members carried out Earth observations and conducted physical, biological, and molecular research to advance scientific knowledge and evaluate new technologies; and
WHEREAS, Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency took part in a vegetable plant growth program that yielded fresh lettuce for crew consumption; the program has applications for long-duration exploration missions, both as a resource for crew food growth, and as a form of recreation, and could help improve growth and biomass production on Earth; and
WHEREAS, Kjell Lindgren also participated in two planned spacewalks, including one to perform station upgrade and maintenance tasks and prepare new docking ports for commercial spacecraft and a second spacewalk to reconfigure the station’s ammonia cooling system; and
WHEREAS, Kjell Lindgren effectively used social media to keep members of the public engaged and informed on the importance of the mission and the space program in general, documenting his entire mission on Instagram; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Kjell Lindgren, an exceptional member of the Fairfax County community, on successfully completing his mission to the International Space Station in 2015; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kjell Lindgren as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to science and technology.