House Authorizes JPL Commemorative Coin

July 12, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, applauded House passage today of legislation authorizing the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins for the upcoming 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the La-Canada Flintridge-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 2008. The legislation, H.R. 68, was approved by a voice vote.

“NASA and JPL’s half century of space and planetary exploration and discovery is worthy of this recognition,” Dreier said. “For more than fifty years, JPL has reached the outer limits of our solar system and made incredible technological breakthroughs. These achievements are all thanks to the outstanding people who have worked there over the years. Having just recently visited JPL for the Deep Impact mission, I am confident they have another exciting fifty years ahead.”

JPL dates back to the 1930's when Cal-Tech professor Theodore von Karman conducted rocket propulsion experiments on site. During World War II, the United States Army Air Corps asked JPL to analyze the V2 rockets that were developed by Nazi Germany, as well as work on other projects for the war. In 1958, JPL’s government affiliation was transferred to NASA, which was established that same year.

“From the launch in 1958 of Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, to the Mars Rovers, the Cassini-Huygens probe, and Deep Impact, JPL has always been a leader in space science and exploration,” Dreier said. “New missions like SIM PlanetQuest and the Terrestrial Planet Finders will continue that legacy. I’m pleased that this gesture of recognition has enjoyed such widespread support.”

The legislation authorizes the Mint to produce 50,000 $50 gold coins and 3.6 million $1 silver coins in 2008. The coins will cost approximately $23 million to produce. Once the cost of manufacturing the coins is recouped, proceeds from the coins’ sale would go to the NASA Family Assistance Fund, a nonprofit entity that provides financial assistance to families of NASA personnel who died of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.

DREIER SPEECH ON H.R. 68