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110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2750 
AN ACT 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the estab-
lishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
•HR 2750 EH1S 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NASA 50th Anniver-
sary Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration 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 Aero-
nautics and Space Administration has 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 Aer-
onautics 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 mak-
ing the first United States lunar flyby.
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(C) On April 1, 1960, the United States 
launched TIROS 1, the first successful mete-
orological 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 Mer-
cury spacecraft. 
(F) On December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 be-
came 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 (communica-
tions), 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 per-
formed the first EVA or spacewalk by an Amer-
ican. 
(I) On June 2, 1966, Surveyor 1 became 
the first American spacecraft to soft-land on 
the Moon.
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(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 Aero-
nautics 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 Aero-
nautics 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 Ad-
ministration launched STS–8 carrying the first 
black American astronaut, Guion S. Bluford. 
(N) On July 23, 1999, the Space Shuttle 
Columbia’s 26th flight was led by Air Force 
Col. Eileen Collins, the first woman to com-
mand a Shuttle mission. 
(4) On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration unveiled the Mercury as-
tronaut corps, 7 men with ‘‘the right stuff’’: John 
H. Glenn, Jr., Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B.
•HR 2750 EH1S 
Shepard, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Coo-
per, Virgil I. ‘‘Gus’’ Grissom, and Donald K. 
‘‘Deke’’ Slayton. 
(5) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Ken-
nedy, reflecting the highest aspirations of the Amer-
ican 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 explo-
ration of space; and none will be so difficult or ex-
pensive to accomplish.’’. 
(6) On September 19, 1961, the National Aero-
nautics 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 Space-
craft 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.
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(9) As Apollo 8 traveled outward, the crew fo-
cused 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 ac-
complishment and united the Nation at a time when 
American society was in crisis over Vietnam, race re-
lations, urban problems, and a host of other difficul-
ties. 
(11) On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts 
Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin made the 
first lunar landing mission while Michael Collins or-
bited 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 a 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 rou-
tinely been done during European exploration of the 
Americas. 
(13) The 2 Moon walkers left behind an Amer-
ican flag and a plaque bearing the inscription: 
‘‘Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot
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Upon the Moon. Jul. 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace 
for All Mankind.’’. 
(14) On April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Tel-
escope 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 inspir-
ing millions of scientists, students, and members of 
the public with its unprecedented deep and clear im-
ages of space. 
(15) On July 4, 1997, the Mars Pathfinder 
landed on Mars and on January 29, 1998, an Inter-
national Space Station agreement among 15 coun-
tries 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 Ad-
ministration’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 uni-
verse, many National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration employees have lost their lives, including 
the crews of Apollo 1, the Space Shuttle Challenger, 
and the Space Shuttle Columbia.
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(17) The success of the United States space ex-
ploration program in the 20th Century augurs well 
for its continued leadership in the 21st Century; this 
leadership is attributable to the remarkable and in-
dispensable partnership between the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration and its 10 space 
and research centers as follows: 
(A) From small spacecraft to supercom-
puters, science missions and payloads to ther-
mal protection systems, information technology 
to aerospace, the Ames Research Center in 
California’s Silicon Valley 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 de-
velops power, propulsion, and communication 
technologies for space flight systems and aero-
nautics research. 
(D) The Goddard Space Flight Center, 
which specializes in research to expand knowl-
edge on the Earth and its environment, the 
solar system, and the universe through observa-
tions from space.
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(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 space-
craft and all human spacecraft-related func-
tions. 
(G) The Kennedy Space Center, the gate-
way to the Universe and world leader in pre-
paring 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, engineers the future to 
accelerate exploration and scientific discovery. 
(J) The Stennis Space Center, which is re-
sponsible for rocket propulsion testing and for 
partnering with industry to develop and imple-
ment remote sensing technology.
•HR 2750 EH1S 
(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 com-
memorative silver dollar coin. 
(19) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a 
commemorative coin would generate valuable fund-
ing for the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration Families Assistance Fund for the purposes 
of providing need-based financial assistance to the 
families of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration 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 Aer-
onautics and Space Administration, the Secretary of the 
Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) 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.
•HR 2750 EH1S 
(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 per-
cent 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 Sec-
retary 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.