Gerald R. Ford photo

Statement on Receiving a Crystal Grown Aboard the Skylab Space Station.

November 04, 1974

MOST OF US become so involved in trying to find solutions to the serious problems that we face today that we sometimes lose sight of the developments that hold promise for a better tomorrow.

The small segment of a crystal grown in space aboard the Skylab Space Station last January, which was presented to me today, is a reminder that we should raise our sights to the broadening horizon available to us through our national investment in science and technology.

The experiment aboard Skylab demonstrates that it is possible to grow crystals in space in the absence of gravity--crystals that are more perfect than the Earthgrown variety. It was one of several experiments to determine whether superior materials can be produced in space.

But beyond its scientific value and the potential applications for this new knowledge, this successful demonstration serves as a useful reminder of the contributions that science and technology make toward improving and enriching our daily lives and building a broader foundation for an even better tomorrow.

Note: The President received the crystal from James C. Fletcher, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Howard Johnson, chairman of the board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in a ceremony in the Cabinet Room at the White House.

Gerald R. Ford, Statement on Receiving a Crystal Grown Aboard the Skylab Space Station. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256773

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