Nine silver dollars and a gold one-ounce $50 coin are called for in legislation seeking to honor the golden anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, known universally by its NASA initials.
There are two measures that originated in different houses of Congress. Senate Bill 2159 passed with amendments on June 19, while another measure, H.R. 250, passed the House last year.
Both measures would significantly expand the realm of intergalactic coinage, and incidentally modern commemoratives, with the first $50 commemorative coin since the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915 and the giant slugs it wrought. The Senate measure expressly overrules the “only two commemorative programs a year” provision of the U.S. code, calling for orders in 2008 and production between now and the end of 2009.
Source: Numismatic News.