[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 102 (Thursday, June 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5915-S5917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REQUIRING THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY TO MINT COINS
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2159 and the
Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2159) 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.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. DODD. I ask unanimous consent that a Dodd-Shelby amendment which
is at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third
time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any
statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 5015) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To extend the period during which the coins may be minted and
issued)
On page 16, strike lines 8 through 11 and insert the
following:
``(c) Period for Issuance.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, including section 7(d), the Secretary--
``(1) may accept orders for the coins authorized under this
Act during the period beginning on January 1, 2008 and ending
on December 31, 2008; and
``(2) may mint and issue such coins required to fulfill
such orders during the period beginning on January 1, 2008
and ending on December 31, 2009.
``(d) Exception to Program Limitation.--Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, the minting or issuance of coins
under this Act in 2009 does not--
``(1) preclude the Secretary from including a surcharge on
the issuance of any other commemorative coin minted or issued
in 2009; and
``(2) be counted against the annual 2 commemorative coin
program minting and issuance limitation under section
5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code.
``(e) Issuance of Gold Coins.--Each gold coin''.
The bill (S. 2159), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:
S. 2159
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 50th Anniversary
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(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 has been involved in many defining
events which have shaped the course of human history and
[[Page S5916]]
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 that--
(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 3 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
(also known as Early Bird 1), the first commercial satellite
(communications), into geostationary orbit;
(H) on June 3 through 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 May 31, 1971, the United States launched Mariner 9,
the first mission to orbit another planet (Mars) beginning
November 13, 1971;
(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, 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; and
(N) on July 23, 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) on February 17, 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 of the Moon, telling
the millions of listeners that it was ``one small step for a
man, one giant leap for mankind'', and 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 The Planet
Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon. Jul. 1969 A.D. We Came in
Peace for All Mankind.'';
(14) on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched into space aboard the STS-31 mission of the Space
Shuttle Discovery, and since then, the Hubble has
revolutionized astronomy, while expanding our knowledge of
the universe and inspiring millions of scientists, students,
and members of the public with its unprecedented deep and
clear images of space;
(15) 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;
(16) 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 1, the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the
Space Shuttle Columbia;
(17) the success of the United States space exploration
program in the 20th Century augurs well for its continued
leadership in the 21st Century, such leadership being
attributable to the remarkable and indispensable partnership
between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
its 10 space and research centers, including--
(A) from small spacecraft to supercomputers, science
missions and payloads to thermal protection systems,
information technology to aerospace, the Ames Research Center
in California's Silicon Valley, which provides products,
technologies, and services that enable NASA missions and
expand human knowledge.
(B) the Dryden Flight Research Center, the leading center
for innovative flight research;
(C) the Glenn Research Center, which develops power,
propulsion, and communication technologies for space flight
systems and aeronautics research;
(D) the Goddard Space Flight Center, which specializes in
research to expand knowledge on the Earth and its
environment, the solar system, and the universe through
observations from space;
(E) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center for
robotic exploration of the Solar System;
(F) the Johnson Space Center, which manages the
development, testing, production, and delivery of all United
States human spacecraft and all human spacecraft-related
functions;
(G) the Kennedy Space Center, the gateway to the Universe
and world leader in preparing and launching missions around
the Earth and beyond;
(H) the Langley Research Center, which continues to forge
new frontiers in aviation and space research for aerospace,
atmospheric sciences, and technology commercialization to
improve the way the world lives;
(I) the Marshall Space Flight Center, a world leader in
developing space transportation and propulsion systems that
accelerate exploration and scientific discovery, including
the Michoud Assembly Facility, which has been a world-class
facility since 1961 for fabrication of large space
structures, including the Saturn V and the Space Shuttle
External Tank, and which will have a critical role in the
Constellation program, including manufacturing major pieces
of the Orion crew capsule, the Ares I upper stage, and the
Ares V core stage; and
(J) the Stennis Space Center, which is responsible for
rocket propulsion testing and for partnering with industry to
develop and implement remote sensing technology;
(18) the United States should pay tribute to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and to its successful
partnerships with the space and research centers, by minting
and issuing a commemorative silver dollar coin; and
(19) 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 any National
Aeronautics and Space Administration personnel who lose their
lives as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of
their official duties, and for other worthy and important
purposes.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, 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 4(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 may mint
[[Page S5917]]
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.
(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 the contributions of the research and space
centers, 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 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) Period for Issuance.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, including section 7(d), the Secretary--
(1) may accept orders for the coins authorized under this
Act during the period beginning on January 1, 2008 and ending
on December 31, 2008; and
(2) may mint and issue such coins required to fulfill such
orders during the period beginning on January 1, 2008 and
ending on December 31, 2009.
(d) Exception to Program Limitation.--Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, the minting or issuance of coins
under this Act in 2009 does not--
(1) preclude the Secretary from including a surcharge on
the issuance of any other commemorative coin minted or issued
in 2009; and
(2) be counted against the annual 2 commemorative coin
program minting and issuance limitation under section
5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code.
(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 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.
(3) A surcharge of $1 per coin for any bronze duplicate
minted under section 8.
(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
purpose of providing need-based financial assistance to the
families of NASA personnel who lose their lives 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 Challenger Center for Space Science Education, for
the purposes of creating positive learning experiences using
space science as a theme that raise student expectations of
success, fostering a long-term interest in mathematics,
science, and technology, and motivating students to pursue
careers in these fields.
(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
Challenger Center for Space Science Education, 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).
(d) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no
surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance under
this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as of the
time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin would result
in the number of commemorative coin programs issued during
such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative coin program
issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code (as in effect on the date of enactment of
this Act). The Secretary may issue guidance to carry out this
subsection.
SEC. 8. BRONZE DUPLICATES.
The Secretary may strike and sell bronze duplicates of the
$50 gold coins authorized under this Act, at a price
determined by the Secretary to be appropriate. Such
duplicates shall not be considered to be United States coins
and shall not be legal tender.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I note this is a coin bill that was authored
by Senator Nelson of Florida commemorating the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of NASA, a historic moment. I commend Senator Nelson for
his efforts.
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