The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 is officially law here in the United States. The Act was signed by President Trump on October 9, 2019, paving the way for the commemorative silver coin to be produced in 2021.
The signing came just eight days after the House of Representatives passed the bill on October 1, 2019. The United States Senate passed a bill authorizing the coin back in July 2019. Fundamentally the only real difference between the bills was the production year. The Senate called for the coin to be minted in 2020 while the House wanted it for 2021. In the end, the House resolution passed which is fitting given that 2021 will be the 35th anniversary of the Challenger explosion.
The legislation calls for the United States Mint to produce 350,000 silver Dollar coins that would feature McAuliffe on the Obverse and a Reverse that would “portray her legacy as a teacher”. McAuliffe, the first teacher for the Teacher in Space Program from NASA, was killed along with six other crew members in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986.
The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin would be produced both in Proof and Uncirculated finishes and will contain at least 90% silver. Further, a surcharge of $10 would be added to the price of each coin with the proceeds being paid to the FIRST robotics program.
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