Volume 167, No. 81, covering the 1st Session of the 117th Congress (2021 – 2022), was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RECOGNIZING SPACE TANGO” mentioning Rand Paul was published in the Senate section on page S2444 on May 11.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators’ salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING SPACE TANGO
Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Space Tango of Lexington, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
Growing up on a family farm outside Bardstown, Twyman Clements loved building and launching model rockets with his three brothers. His passion for innovation and engineering led him to the University of Kentucky, UK, where he earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering. As a graduate student at UK, Twyman worked with Kentucky Space, a nonprofit consortium of universities and public and private groups supporting space entrepreneurship. At the time, Kentucky Space was using miniature satellites called cubesats to conduct experiments on the International Space Station. Realizing the need to simplify and reduce the cost of spacebased research and development, R&D, Twyman founded Space Tango in 2015.
Today, Space Tango is a thriving small business enabling R&D and manufacturing in zero gravity. Since 2017, thanks to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Space Act Agreement, Space Tango provides facilities on the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. Their CubeLabs generate scalable and efficient research and manufacturing in microgravity. Space Tango has worked with several commercial partners, including Anheuser-Busch and LambaVision. They regularly partner with educational institutions such as the University of Florida, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University.
Over the years, local and national organizations have recognized Space Tango’s groundbreaking work. Twyman was inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2017, and ranked No. 25 on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018. Jim Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator, visited Space Tango in 2020, commending their biomedical research and manufacturing capabilities. In addition to working on projects for various Federal agencies, Space Tango won three NASA Utilization Awards for Low Earth Orbit of Biomedical Applications. Looking forward, Space Tango is developing ST-
42, an autonomous manufacturing facility for advanced materials and biomedical devices located in Earth’s orbit.
Notably, Space Tango is committed to investing in the next generation of innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Twyman and his colleagues regularly host and present at educational events at Kentucky schools, universities, and scientific institutions. Space Tango’s robust internship program includes students from Kentucky’s universities and colleges across the country, with several former interns joining their team.
Space Tango is a testament to Kentucky innovation, ingenuity, and industry. Small businesses like Space Tango form a critical part of American’s domestic manufacturing base and play a unique role educating the next generation of Kentucky engineers and entrepreneurs. Congratulations to Twyman and the entire team at Space Tango. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky and beyond.
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