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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Holly Ridings, a native of Amarillo, was named chief |
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flight director of the National Aeronautics and Space |
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Administration on September 17, 2018, and she indeed merits special |
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recognition for receiving this significant honor; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Ridings first got involved in the space program |
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as a student in 1997, while participating in an initiative at the |
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Goddard Space Flight Center; later that year, she took a permanent |
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position at the Johnson Space Center as a United Space Alliance |
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thermal operations and resource officer; she continued in a similar |
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role at NASA from 1998 to 2003 and was subsequently promoted to |
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Space Station Motion Control Systems Group lead; and |
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WHEREAS, Selected to become a flight director in 2005, |
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Ms. Ridings has served as the lead flight director for several |
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crucial missions, including International Space Station Expedition |
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16, Space Shuttle Program STS-127, and the first SpaceX Dragon |
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cargo spacecraft mission to the space station; and |
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WHEREAS, NASA's first female chief flight director, |
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Ms. Ridings is responsible for managing 32 flight directors and |
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trainees at the JSC Mission Control Center; this elite group |
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oversees all of the agency's human spaceflight missions, such as |
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ISS missions and Orion missions to the moon and beyond, as well as |
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the development of the next generation of space vehicles; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Ridings graduated from Tascosa High School as a |
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member of the Class of 1992 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree |
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in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University; in February |
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2019, she was inducted into the Tascosa High School Hall of Fame; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, During her outstanding career with NASA, Holly |
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Ridings has demonstrated great intelligence, skill, and |
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determination, and her thoughtful and forward-looking leadership |
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is certain to be of great benefit to the agency in her role as its |
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chief flight director; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Holly Ridings on being named chief |
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flight director of the National Aeronautics and Space |
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Administration and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. Ridings as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |