I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 68 
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 
JANUARY 4, 2005 
Mr. CULBERSON (for himself, Mr. DELAY, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, and 
Mr. SCHIFF) 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 estab-
lishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 
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 ‘‘NASA and JPL 50th 
Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In commemoration of the 
50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aer-
onautics 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) $10 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 75,000 
$10 gold coins of such specifications as the Sec-
retary determines to be appropriate. 
(2) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 100,000 
$5 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 8.359 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent 
alloy. 
(3) 
ILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 
$1 coins, 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. 
(4) HALF DOLLAR SILVER COINS.—Not more 
than 500,000 half dollar coins which shall— 
(A) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 
(B) 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. 
SEC. 3. 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 Amer-
ica’’, 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) $10 COINS.—The reverse of the $10 
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. 
(B) $5 COINS.—The reverse of the $5 
coins issued under this Act shall bear at least 
2 different designs— 
(i) 1 of which shall be emblematic of 
the Moon missions of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration; and 
(ii) 1 of which shall be emblematic of 
the Earth missions of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration. 
(C) $1 COINS.— 
(i) OBVERSE.—The obverse of the $1 
coins issued under this Act shall honor the 
achievements of the Jet Propulsion Lab-
oratory and bear an image emblematic of 
the missions and achievements of the Lab-
oratory in the exploration of the solar sys-
tem. 
(ii) REVERSE.—The reverse of the $1 
coins issued under this Act shall bear 8 
different designs each of which shall con-
sist of an image of 1 of the 8 planets of 
the solar system, other than Earth, and be
emblematic of the missions of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration and 
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to such 
planet. 
(D) HALF DOLLAR COINS.—The reverse of 
the half dollar coins shall bear an image of the 
universe. 
(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 reminis-
cent 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 sculp-
tors and medallic artists as James Earle Fraser, Au-
gustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David Brenner, Ad-
olph 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. 4. SYMBOLIC INCLUSION OF PRECIOUS METALS THAT 
HAVE FLOWN IN SPACE. 
(a) COLLECTION.—Each Federal agency and instru-
mentality of the United States, including the Department 
of Defense, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Aer-
onautics and Space Administration, and the Jet Propul-
sion Laboratory, that has in its possession any craft, or 
any part of a craft, that flew in space shall— 
(1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other 
precious metal that the Director of the United 
States Mint determines may be used in the produc-
tion of any coins under this Act, from such craft or 
part, that can be retrieved without harming any 
such craft or part that may be of continuing use for 
its original purpose or for research, or whose preser-
vation is appropriate for historical purposes; and 
(2) deposit such precious metals so retrieved 
with the Director of the United States Mint. 
(b) SEGREGATION
AND
RECORDKEEPING.—Each 
Federal agency and instrumentality of the United States 
which retrieves any precious metals in accordance with
subsection (a), and the Director of the United States Mint 
with respect to precious metals deposited with the Mint 
in accordance with such subsection, shall maintain such 
precious metals separately from other metals not so re-
trieved or obtained and shall maintain accurate and com-
plete records of the retrieval and deposit of any such pre-
cious metals. 
(c) USE OF PRECIOUS METALS IN PRODUCTION OF 
COINS.—Any precious metals deposited with the Director 
of the United States Mint under subsection (a) shall be 
used in the production of the coins struck under this Act 
by blending such precious metals with other bullion nec-
essary for the production of such coins so that all of the 
coins produced under this Act will contain some propor-
tion of the bullion obtained from craft or parts of crafts 
that flew in space in an amount appropriate for the types 
and denominations of the coins and the amount of pre-
cious metals so deposited. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 
(b) SETS.—In issuing coins minted under this Act, 
the Secretary shall make not less than 25,000 sets of coins 
available for issuance each of which shall contain the coins 
of each denomination of the coins minted under this Act,
including a coin bearing each design required for the re-
verse of any such denomination of coin. 
(c) MINT FACILITY.—Only 1 facility of the United 
States Mint may be used to strike any particular combina-
tion of denomination and quality of the coins minted under 
this Act. 
(d) COMMENCEMENT OF ISSUANCE.—The Secretary 
may issue coins minted under this Act beginning January 
1, 2008. 
(e) TERMINATION
OF MINTING AUTHORITY.—No 
coins may be minted under this Act after December 31, 
2008. 
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 6(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 pre-
paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea-
sonable discount. 
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins minted under 
this Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 
(1) A surcharge of $75 per coin for the $10 
coin. 
(2) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin. 
(3) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin. 
(4) A surcharge of $3 per coin for the half dol-
lar 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 paid by the Secretary 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. 
(c) AUDITS.—The NASA Family Assistance Fund 
shall be subject to the audit requirements of section
5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard 
to the amounts received by the under subsection (b). 
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