With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing a little over four years away, two Florida congressional representatives teamed up this week to introduce a commemorative coin to mark the occasion.
U.S Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., who represents parts of the Space Coast and worked on the Apollo program decades ago, paired up with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, D-Iowa, U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, to introduce the measure on Thursday in time for the July 20, 2019, anniversary date.
“The United States remains the only country to have ever landed humans on a celestial body off the Earth and brought them home safely,” Posey noted on Thursday. “Honoring that great feat and recognizing astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, who made this historic journey, is what our bipartisan legislation is all about.”
“It is an honor to co-sponsor the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act,” Wilson said. “I will never forget the day that I and millions of others witnessed on television what is inarguably one of our nation’s greatest achievements.”
Part of the proceeds from the sale of the coin will go to college scholarships for students majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields. Proceeds will also go to space exploration education, the Astronauts Monument which honors astronauts killed in the line of duty and the National Air and Space Museum’s “Destination Moon” exhibit.
“As a former longtime educator, I am especially pleased that as a result of this legislation, future generations will be ensured opportunities to make many more leaps for mankind and cement the United States’ position as a leader in the STEM fields,” Wilson said on Thursday.
The moon landing was honored on both the Eisenhower and Susan B. Anthony dollar coins from the 1970s with the back of them showing the Apollo 11 emblem of an American eagle landing on the moon.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
