(1) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration 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 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 mak-
ing the first United States lunar flyby; 
(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; 
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(E) on February 20, 1962, John Glenn be-
came the first American to circle the Earth, 
making 3 orbits in his Friendship 7 Mercury 
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 through 7, 1965, the sec-
ond 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 Aero-
nautics and Space Administration launched the 
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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; 
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 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. 
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-
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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; 
(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; 
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(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 of the 
Moon, telling the millions of listeners that it was 
‘‘one small step for a man, one giant leap for man-
kind’’, 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 Amer-
ican 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 Tele-
scope was launched into space aboard the STS–31 
mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and since 
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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; 
(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, 
such leadership being attributable to the remarkable 
and indispensable partnership between the National 
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Aeronautics and Space Administration and its 10 
space and research centers, including— 
(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, which provides prod-
ucts, 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; 
(E) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the 
leading center for robotic exploration of the 
Solar System; 
(F) the Johnson Space Center, which man-
ages the development, testing, production, and 
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delivery of all United States human spacecraft 
and all human spacecraft-related functions; 
(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 that accelerate explo-
ration 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 Constella-
tion 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 re-
sponsible for rocket propulsion testing and for 
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partnering with industry to develop and imple-
ment 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 com-
memorative silver dollar coin; and 
(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 any National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration personnel who lose their lives as a re-
sult 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 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— 
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(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 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 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.— 
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(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 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. 
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(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 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 the contributions of the re-
search 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 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-
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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 (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 Aero-
nautics and Space Administration and 
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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 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 and the Commission of 
Fine Arts; and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory 
Committee. 
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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) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, including section 7(d), the Sec-
retary— 
(1) may accept orders for the coins authorized 
under this Act during the period beginning on Janu-
ary 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.—Not-
withstanding any other provision of law, the minting or 
issuance of coins under this Act in 2009 shall not— 
(1) preclude the Secretary from including a sur-
charge on the issuance of any other commemorative 
coin minted or issued in 2009; and 
(2) be counted against the annual 2 commemo-
rative coin program minting and issuance limitation 
under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States 
Code. 
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(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 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 determines to be appropriate, the Sec-
retary shall provide, as a sale option, a presentation case 
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which displays the $50 gold coin in the center, surrounded 
by the $1 silver coins in elliptical orbits. All such presen-
tation cases shall bear a plaque with appropriate inscrip-
tions 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 distribu-
tion under this section, to the NASA Family Assist-
ance Fund, for the purpose of providing need-based 
financial assistance to the families of NASA per-
sonnel who lose their lives as a result of injuries suf-
fered in the performance of their official duties. 
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(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 Edu-
cational (D.R.E.M.E.) Science Literacy Foun-
dation 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 mathe-
matics, 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 In-
stitution for the preservation, maintenance, and dis-
play of space artifacts at the National Air and Space 
Museum (including the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Cen-
ter). 
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