106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2572
AN ACT
To direct the Administrator of NASA to design and
present an award to the Apollo astronauts.
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2572
AN ACT
To direct the Administrator of NASA to design and present
an award to the Apollo astronauts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Apollo Exploration
Award Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On July 20, 1969, Neil A. Armstrong and
Edwin E. ‘‘Buzz’’ Aldrin Jr., became the first hu-
mans to set foot on another celestial body, during
the Apollo 11 mission, accompanied in lunar orbit by
Michael Collins.
(2) Between 1969 and 1972, ten other Ameri-
cans courageously completed the first human explo-
ration of the lunar surface, accompanied by five
command module pilots:
(A) Apollo 12—Charles J. ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad
Jr., Alan L. Bean, and Richard F. Gordon Jr.
(B) Apollo 14—Alan B. Shepard Jr.,
Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa.
(C) Apollo 15—David R. Scott, James B.
Irwin, and Alfred M. Worden.
(D) Apollo 16—John W. Young, Charles
M. Duke Jr., and Thomas K. Mattingly II.
(E) Apollo 17—Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald
E. Evans, and Harrison H. Schmitt.
(3) In April 1970, James A. Lovell Jr., John
L. Swigert Jr., and Fred W. Haise Jr., valiantly
made a safe return from the Moon on the Apollo 13
mission, after their command module was disabled
by an explosion.
(4) The enormous successes of the Apollo lunar
landing missions were only possible due to the pio-
neering work of the previous Apollo missions, which
performed critical testing of the spacecraft and
methods, and conducted the first human travel to
the Moon:
(A) Apollo 7—Walter M. Schirra Jr.,
Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham.
(B) Apollo 8—Frank Borman, James A.
Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders.
(C) Apollo 9—James A. McDivitt, David
R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart.
(D) Apollo 10—Thomas P. Stafford, John
W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan.
(5) In January 1967, astronauts Virgil I.
Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee
lost their lives in a tragic fire in the command mod-
ule while testing the spacecraft which would have
carried them on the first manned Apollo mission.
(6) Since the time of the Apollo program, the
program’s astronauts have promoted space explo-
ration and human endeavor by sharing their experi-
ences with the American people and the world, stim-
ulating the imagination and the belief that any goal
can be achieved.
(7) Sadly, astronauts John L. Swigert Jr.,
Donn F. Eisele, Ronald E. Evans, James B. Irwin,
Stuart A. Roosa, Alan B. Shepard Jr., and Charles
J. ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Jr., have died since completing
their missions.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the American peo-
ple should provide a fitting and tangible tribute to each
of the astronauts of the Apollo program, to recognize and
commemorate their bravery, substantial scientific and
technical accomplishments, and unique contributions to
American and world history.
SEC. 4. APOLLO EXPLORATION AWARD.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration (hereafter in
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Administrator’’) shall design
and present an appropriate award, to be named the ‘‘Apol-
lo Exploration Award’’, commemorating the accomplish-
ments of the astronauts who flew in the Apollo program.
(b) DESIGN.—The Administrator shall ensure that
the Apollo Exploration Award shall have the following
characteristics:
(1) A lunar rock sample shall be the central
feature of the award.
(2) The design of the award shall permit free
access to and removal of the lunar sample by the
award recipient.
(c) 
PRESENTATION.—The 
Administrator 
shall
present one award created under this Act to each of the
following Apollo astronauts, or if such person is deceased,
to his closest living family member or heir (as determined
by the Administrator):
(1) Buzz Aldrin (formerly known as Edwin E.
Aldrin Jr.) of Apollo 11.
(2) William A. Anders of Apollo 8.
(3) Neil A. Armstrong of Apollo 11.
(4) Alan L. Bean of Apollo 12.
(5) Frank Borman of Apollo 8.
(6) Eugene A. Cernan of Apollo 10 and Apollo
17.
(7) Roger B. Chafee of Apollo 1.
(8) Michael Collins of Apollo 11.
(9) Charles J. ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Jr. of Apollo 12.
(10) R. Walter Cunningham of Apollo 7.
(11) Charles M. Duke Jr. of Apollo 16.
(12) Donn F. Eisele of Apollo 7.
(13) Ronald E. Evans of Apollo 17.
SEC. 6. TRANSFER OF AWARD.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, ownership interest in an award presented
under this Act may not be—
(1) sold, traded, bartered, or exchanged for
anything of value; or
(2) otherwise transferred, other than to a fam-
ily member of the original recipient of the award or
by inheritance.
(b) EXCEPTION FOR PUBLIC DISPLAY.—The prohibi-
tion in subsection (a) does not apply to a transfer to a
museum or nonprofit organization for the purpose of pub-
lic display.
(c) REVERSION.—Ownership of an award presented
under this Act reverts to the Administrator if—
(1) no person inherits the award after the death
of its owner; or
(2) the award is not being displayed publicly
under subsection (b).
SEC. 7. RECALL OF LUNAR MATERIAL.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may recall a
lunar sample contained in an award presented under this
Act if the Administrator determines that the particular
lunar sample is required for scientific purposes.
(b) PROMPT
RETURN.—The Administrator shall
promptly return a lunar sample recalled under subsection
(a) to its owner when such sample is no longer required
for scientific purposes.
(c) REPLACEMENT.—The Administrator may replace
a lunar sample recalled under subsection (a) with a sub-
stantially equivalent lunar sample if the Administrator de-
termines that such recalled lunar sample will not be
promptly returned in its entirety and without substantial
degradation.
Passed the House of Representatives September 26,
2000.
Attest:
Clerk.