HR0512 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0512 LRB104 15867 ECR 29086 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Hailing from Savanna, Illinois, Major Cameron Jones of the United States Air Force submitted his name as one of over 8,000 applicants for the available slots opened by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2025; and

WHEREAS, From this significant pool of talented, forward-looking Americans, only ten men and women were selected; and

WHEREAS, Major Jones was one of the ten people selected from this pool of over 8,000 applicants; and

WHEREAS, Illinois-trained as well as native-born, Major Jones earned bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the Granger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); and

WHEREAS, As a member of the U.S. Air Force, Major Jones compiled more than 1,600 flight hours, including 150 hours classified as combat hours, in more than 30 types of aircraft headed by the F-22 Raptor, and he was promoted to the rank of Major; and

WHEREAS, Major Jones was selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base (Edwards AFB) in California, and he experienced further training and leadership at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base (Nellis AFB) in Nevada; and

WHEREAS, Major Jones' selection as one of the ten astronaut candidates of NASA's Class of September 2025 was announced on Monday, September 22 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; and

WHEREAS, As a U.S. Air Force test pilot, Major Jones will follow a well-trodden path into the United States space program; legendary American astronauts, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Illinois' Jim Lovell, were U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force test pilots before moving into America's final frontier; and

WHEREAS, As an astronaut candidate selected in NASA's Class of 2025, Major Jones will start what will be nearly two years of additional training before flight eligibility begins, with the astronaut candidates studying robotics, land and water survival, geology, space medicine, high-performance aircraft training, and simulated space-experience training; and

WHEREAS, Major Jones has become one of roughly 370 people who have been selected as NASA astronaut candidates over the life of the program, which officially began in October 1958; and

WHEREAS, Major Jones is the second NASA astronaut candidate to be chosen from Savanna, Illinois, with the first selectee being Dale Gardner, chosen in January 1978 and then named to serve on the Space Shuttle flights STS-8 in 1983 and STS-51-A in 1984; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we extend warm congratulations to Major Cameron Jones of the United States Air Force on his selection as a 2025 astronaut candidate by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and be it further

RESOLVED, That the thoughts of the Illinois House are with Major Jones as he undergoes the further grueling training necessary as the future flight crews are selected by NASA for future American missions into space; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we look forward to seeing the name of Illinois' Major Jones on the news wires of the world as he flies above it; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Major Jones of the United States Air Force and NASA as a symbol of our esteem and respect.