Patton Urges Ohio to be Headquarters for U.S. Space Command

State Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) spearheaded a resolution on Tuesday that was approved by the Ohio House of Representatives to name Ohio as the headquarters for the U.S. Space Command. Patton spoke to the resolution on the House floor.

“Ohio is proud to be known as the “birthplace of aviation” considering that Ohio-born Wilbur and Orville Wright invented and flew the world’s very first powered airplane in 1903,” Patton said. “Not only are we the birthplace and state of aviation, but we are the home of aerospace pioneers. Ohio has been the home for 26 astronauts, who in total, have logged more than 22,000 hours in space.”

Some of the astronauts from Ohio include Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, and Judith Resnik. Armstrong was the first man to step foot on the moon, Glenn served as the first man to orbit the Earth, and Judith Resnik was the second American woman in space for the Discovery’s first voyage, and then tragically did not make it to space in the Challenger due to the disaster a little over a minute after takeoff.

Additionally, in Patton’s home district, he notes has the NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park.

The resolution urges the federal government to name the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton as the permanent location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters. Wright Patterson is known as one of the largest Air Force bases in the country with over 30,000 individuals employed, including military members, government workers, and many other employees.

“Ohio continues to lead the nation in aviation and aerospace innovation and would be a great home to the Space Command Headquarters,” Patton added.