The NASA 50th Anniversary Coin Act, a bill introduced by Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and John Culberson (TX-07), successfully passed the House yesterday by a vote of 402 - 0.

“This important bill honors the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on its golden anniversary for touching the lives and hearts of every American today.

“This commemorative coin set is one small piece of the ongoing work that Congress is doing in support of NASA. I am proud to honor the men and women of NASA and the extraordinary discoveries they are making.”

H.R. 2750 would authorize the U.S. Mint to make 50,000 $50 gold coins and 300,000 $1 silver coins that “shall be emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2008.

The $50 coin will bear the image of the sun and a design honoring the sacrifices of astronauts who lost their lives in duty, while the nine $1 coins will depict the planets of the Solar System along with designs symbolizing the contributions of NASA’s research and space centers.

Proceeds from the sale of the coins will go towards the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purpose 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; to the Dr. Ronal E. McNair Educational Science Literacy Foundation for the purposes of improving and strengthening the process of teaching and learning science, math, and technology at all educational levels, elementary though college through the promotion of innovative educational programs; to the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence for the purposes of supporting the work of the Foundation in building critical thinking skills, experiential teaching methods, science literacy, and integrated approaches to learning and individual responsibility in achieving excellence; and to the Smithsonian Institution for the preservation, maintenance, and display of space artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum.