109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 68
AN ACT 
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.
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 68
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 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) $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 400,000 
$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. 
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) $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) EDGE.—The edge of the $50 
coins issued under this Act shall bear the 
names and dates of the spacecraft missions 
on which United States astronauts lost 
their lives over the course of the space pro-
gram. 
(iv) 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 con-
sist 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 dif-
ferent designs each of which shall be em-
blematic 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 emblem-
atic of, and honoring, the discoveries 
and missions of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration, the 
Mercury, Gemini and Space Shuttle 
missions and other manned Earth-or-
biting missions, and the Apollo mis-
sions to the Moon. 
(II) JUPITER COIN.—The reverse 
of the $1 coins issued under this Act 
which bear an image of the planet Ju-
piter on the obverse shall include a 
scientifically accurate depiction of the 
Galilean moon Europa and depict 
both a past and future mission to Eu-
ropa. 
(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 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 Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration and the ongoing search for 
Earth-like 
planets 
orbiting 
other 
stars. 
(iii) EDGE.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that, to the extent practicable, 
the edge of each $1 coin should bear the 
names and dates or range of dates of mis-
sions or mission types to the planet de-
picted on the obverse. 
(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 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 such gold, silver, copper, and other 
metals that the Director of the United States Mint 
determines are appropriate for use in the production 
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 preserva-
tion is appropriate for historical purposes; and 
(2) deposit such metals so retrieved with the 
Director of the United States Mint. 
(b) USE OF METALS IN PRODUCTION OF COINS.—
Any metals deposited with the Director of the United 
States Mint under subsection (a) shall be used in the pro-
duction of the coins struck under this Act by blending 
such metals with other metal necessary for the production 
of such coins so that all of the coins produced under this 
Act will contain some proportion 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 metals so deposited. 
(c) RECORDKEEPING.—It is the sense of the Con-
gress that each Federal agency and instrumentality of the 
United States which retrieves any metals in accordance
with subsection (a) should maintain accurate and complete 
records of the retrieval and deposit of any such metals 
sufficient to allow the Director of the United States 
Mint—
(1) to provide certificates of authenticity with 
coins issued under this Act that some proportion of 
the contents of such coins were obtained from craft 
or parts of crafts that flew in space; and 
(2) to package with each issued coin a list of 
the missions in which such craft flew in space. 
(d) PRIVATE SPACECRAFT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal agency and in-
strumentality of the United States that has or con-
tinues to conduct space-related missions shall, in ad-
dition to the efforts described in subsection (a), 
make efforts to secure and retrieve from privately-
held craft that has flown in space such gold, silver, 
copper and other metals that the Director of the 
United States Mint determines are appropriate for 
use in the production of any coins under this Act. 
(2) RECORDKEEPING.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that each Federal agency and instrumen-
tality of the United States which retrieves any met-
als pursuant to paragraph (1) from privately-held 
craft that has flown in space should comply with the
recordkeeping procedures described in subsection (c) 
with respect to such metal. 
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 combina-
tion 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. 
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 pre-
paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea-
sonable 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 appro-
priate, the Secretary shall provide, as a sale option, a pres-
entation case which displays the $50 gold coin in the cen-
ter surrounded by the $1 silver coins in an elliptical orbit. 
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 $1,000,000 available for distribu-
tion under this section, to the NASA Family Assist-
ance Fund for the purposes of providing need-based 
financial assistance to the families of NASA per-
sonnel 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 to the Sec-
retary of the Smithsonian Institution for the preser-
vation, maintenance, and display of space artifacts 
at the National Air and Space Museum (including 
the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center). 
(3) Of amounts available for distribution after 
the payment under paragraph (1), 1⁄2 to the Sec-
retary of the Smithsonian Institution for the express 
purpose of providing funding for the establishment 
of a new stand-alone National Museum of Money. 
(c) AUDITS.—The NASA Family Assistance Fund 
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 pro-
grams 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 the enactment of this Act). The Sec-
retary of the Treasury 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 
the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Passed the House of Representatives July 12, 2005. 
Attest:
Clerk.