I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 255 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2009 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself, Mr. CULBERSON, and Mr. CUELLAR) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial 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. 
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 50th Anniver-
sary Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
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(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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