[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2750 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2750
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 15, 2007
Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas (for herself and Mr. Culberson) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began
operation on October 1, 1958, with about 8,000 employees and an
annual budget of $100,000,000.
(2) Over the next 50 years, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have
been involved in many defining events which have shaped the
course of human history and demonstrated to the world the
character of the people of the United States.
(3) Among the many firsts by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration are the following:
(A) On December 6, 1958, the United States launched
Pioneer 3, the first United States satellite to ascend
to an altitude of 63,580 miles.
(B) On March 3, 1959, the United States sent
Pioneer 4 to the Moon, successfully making the first
United States lunar flyby.
(C) On April 1, 1960, the United States launched
TIROS 1, the first successful meteorological satellite,
observing Earth's weather.
(D) On May 5, 1961, Freedom 7, carrying Astronaut
Alan B. Shepard, Jr., was the first American space
flight involving human beings.
(E) On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the
first American to circle the Earth, making three orbits
in his Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft.
(F) On December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 became the
first spacecraft to commit a successful planetary flyby
(Venus).
(G) On April 6, 1965, the United States launched
Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite
(communications), into geostationary orbit.
(H) On June 3-7, 1965, the second piloted Gemini
mission, Gemini IV, stayed aloft for 4 days and
astronaut Edward H. White II performed the first EVA or
spacewalk by an American.
(I) On June 2, 1966, Surveyor 1 became the first
American spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon.
(J) On November 13, 1971, the United States
launched Mariner 9, the first mission to orbit another
planet (Mars).
(K) On April 12, 1981, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration launched the Space Shuttle
Columbia on the first flight of the Space
Transportation System (STS-1).
(L) On June 18-24, 1983, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration launched Space Shuttle
Challenger (STS-7) carrying 3 mission specialists,
including Sally K. Ride, the first woman astronaut.
(M) In another historic mission, 2 months later the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched
STS-8 carrying the first black American astronaut,
Guion S. Bluford.
(N) On July 22, 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia's
26th flight was led by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins,
the first woman to command a Shuttle mission.
(4) On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration unveiled the Mercury astronaut corps, 7 men with
``the right stuff'': John H. Glenn, Jr., Walter M. Schirra,
Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon
Cooper, Virgil I. ``Gus'' Grissom, and Donald K. ``Deke''
Slayton.
(5) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, reflecting
the highest aspirations of the American people, proclaimed: ``I
believe this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and
returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this
period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in
the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so
difficult or expensive to accomplish.''
(6) On September 19, 1961, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration announced that the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration center dedicated to human space flight
would be built in Houston, Texas.
(7) In 1973, the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston was
renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
(8) On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 took off atop a Saturn V
booster from the Kennedy Space Center for a historic mission to
orbit the Moon.
(9) As Apollo 8 traveled outward, the crew focused a
portable television camera on Earth and for the first time
humanity saw its home from afar, a tiny, lovely, and fragile
``blue marble'' hanging in the blackness of space.
(10) This transmission and viewing of Earth from a distance
was an enormously significant accomplishment and united the
Nation at a time when American society was in crisis over
Vietnam, race relations, urban problems, and a host of other
difficulties.
(11) On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A.
Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin made the first lunar landing
mission while Michael Collins orbited overhead in the Apollo
command module.
(12) Armstrong set foot on the surface, telling the
millions of listeners that it was ``one small step for man, one
giant leap for mankind''; Aldrin soon followed and planted an
American flag, but omitted claiming the land for the United
States as had routinely been done during European exploration
of the Americas.
(13) The 2 Moon walkers left behind an American flag and a
plaque bearing the inscription: ``Here Men From Planet Earth
First Set Foot Upon the Moon. Jul. 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace
for All Mankind.''
(14) On July 4, 1997, the Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars
and on January 29, 1998, an International Space Station
agreement among 15 countries met in Washington, DC, to sign
agreements to establish the framework for cooperation among the
partners on the design, development, operation, and utilization
of the Space Station.
(15) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's
stunning achievements over the last 50 years have been won for
all mankind at great cost and sacrifice; in the quest to
explore the universe, many National Aeronautics and Space
Administration employees have lost their lives, including the
crews of Apollo 6, the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the Space
Shuttle Columbia.
(16) The United States should pay tribute to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory by minting and issuing a commemorative silver dollar
coin.
(17) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a
commemorative coin would generate valuable funding for the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Families
Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing need-based
financial assistance to the families of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration personnel who die as a
result of injuries suffered in the performance of their
official duties.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the
following coins:
(1) $50 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $50 gold coins
which shall--
(A) weigh 33.931 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; and
(C) contain 1 troy ounce of fine gold.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 300,000 $1 coins of
each of the 9 designs specified in section 3(a)(3)(B), which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent
copper.
(b) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this Act shall be legal
tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.
(c) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31,
United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered
to be numismatic items.
(d) Mintage Level Limit.--Notwithstanding the mintage level limit
described under section 5112(m)(2)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States
Code, the Secretary of the Treasury may mint and issue not more than
300,000 of each of the 9 $1 coins authorized to be minted under this
Act.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and
unparalleled achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act there shall be--
(A) a designation of the value of the coin;
(B) an inscription of the year ``2008''; and
(C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God
We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E
Pluribus Unum'', and such other inscriptions as the
Secretary may determine to be appropriate for the
designs of the coins.
(3) Coin images.--
(A) $50 coins.--
(i) Obverse.--The obverse of the $50 coins
issued under this Act shall bear an image of
the sun.
(ii) Reverse.--The reverse of the $50 coins
issued under this Act shall bear a design
emblematic of the sacrifice of the United
States astronauts who lost their lives in the
line of duty over the course of the space
program.
(iii) High relief.--The design and
inscriptions on the obverse and reverse of the
$50 coins issued under this Act shall be in
high relief.
(B) $1 coins.--
(i) Obverse.--The obverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act shall bear 9 different
designs each of which shall consist of an image
of 1 of the 9 planets of the solar system,
including Earth.
(ii) Reverse.--The reverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act shall bear different
designs each of which shall be emblematic of
discoveries and missions of the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory to the planet depicted on the
obverse of the coin, subject to the following
requirements:
(I) Earth coin.--The reverse of the
$1 coins issued under this Act which
bear an image of the Earth on the
obverse shall bear images emblematic
of, and honoring, the discoveries and
missions of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the Mercury,
Gemini and Space Shuttle missions and
other manned Earth-orbiting missions,
and the Apollo missions to the Moon.
(II) Jupiter coin.--The reverse of
the $1 coins issued under this Act
which bear an image of the planet
Jupiter on the obverse shall include a
scientifically accurate depiction of
the Galilean moon Europa and depict
both a past and future mission to
Europa.
(III) Saturn coin.--The reverse of
the $1 coins issued under this Act
which bear an image of the planet
Saturn on the obverse shall include a
scientifically accurate depiction of
the moon Titan and depict both a past
and a future mission to Titan.
(IV) Pluto (and other dwarf
planets) coin.--The reverse of the $1
coins issued under this Act which bear
an image of the planet Pluto on the
obverse shall include a design that is
emblematic of telescopic exploration of
deep space by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration and the
ongoing search for Earth-like planets
orbiting other stars.
(4) Realistic and scientifically accurate depictions.--The
images for the designs of coins issued under this Act shall be
selected on the basis of the realism and scientific accuracy of
the images and on the extent to which the images are
reminiscent of the dramatic and beautiful artwork on coins of
the so-called ``Golden Age of Coinage'' in the United States,
at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, with the
participation of such noted sculptors and medallic artists as
James Earle Fraser, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David
Brenner, Adolph A. Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T.
Morgan.
(b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued
in proof quality only.
(b) Mint Facility.--Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may
be used to strike any particular combination of denomination and
quality of the coins minted under this Act.
(c) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act beginning January 1, 2008.
(d) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins may be minted under
this Act after December 31, 2008.
(e) Issuance of Gold Coins.--Each gold coin minted under this Act
may be issued only as part of a complete set with 1 of each of the 9 $1
coins minted under this Act.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by
the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of--
(1) the face value of the coins;
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with respect to
such coins; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping).
(b) Prepaid Orders.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders
for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of such
coins.
(2) Discount.--Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders
under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount.
(c) Presentation.--In addition to the issuance of coins under this
Act in such other methods of presentation as the Secretary of the
Treasury determines to be appropriate, the Secretary shall provide, as
a sale option, a presentation case which displays the $50 gold coin in
the center surrounded by the $1 silver coins in elliptical orbits. All
such presentation cases shall bear a plaque with appropriate
inscriptions that include the names and dates of the spacecraft
missions on which United States astronauts lost their lives over the
course of the space program and the names of such astronauts.
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
(a) In General.--All sales of coins minted under this Act shall
include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $50 per coin for the $50 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United
States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of
coins issued under this Act shall be promptly distributed as follows:
(1) The first $4,000,000 available for distribution under
this section, to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the
purposes of providing need-based financial assistance to the
families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries
suffered in the performance of their official duties.
(2) Of amounts available for distribution after the payment
under paragraph (1), \1/2\ of the next $1,000,000 to each of
the following:
(A) The Dr. Ronald E. McNair Educational
(D.R.E.M.E.) Science Literacy Foundation for the
purposes of improving and strengthening the process of
teaching and learning science, math, and technology at
all educational levels, elementary through college
through the promotion of innovative educational
programs.
(B) The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence
for the purposes of supporting the work of the
Foundation in building critical thinking skills,
experiential teaching methods, science literacy, and
integrated approaches to learning and individual
responsibility in achieving excellence.
(3) The remainder of the amounts available for distribution
after the payments under paragraphs (1) and (2), to the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for the preservation,
maintenance, and display of space artifacts at the National Air
and Space Museum (including the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center).
(c) Audits.--The NASA Family Assistance Fund, the Dr. Ronald E.
McNair Educational Science Literacy Foundation, the Dorothy Jemison
Foundation for Excellence, and the Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution shall be subject to the audit requirements of section
5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts
received under subsection (b).
SEC. 8. BRONZE DUPLICATES.
The Secretary may strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $50 gold
coins authorized under this Act, at a price the Secretary determines to
be appropriate. Such duplicates shall not be considered to be United
States coins and shall not be legal tender.
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