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United States Mint Commemorative Coin Program to Honor Christa McAuliffe & FIRST ®

FIRST Teams,

2016 is the 30th Anniversary of the Challenger disaster, where Christa McAuliffe, a social studies teacher who taught in Concord, New Hampshire, was killed along with six other astronauts in January, 1986. McAuliffe was selected to be the first participant of the NASA Teacher in Space program.

FIRST is dedicated to McAuliffe's mission of inspiring the next generation of dreamers and innovators.

FIRST supporters Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) have filed a bill called the "Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act" during the week of April 25, 2016.
See also: May 3, 2016 United States Senate Press Release, Shaheen, Ayotee Introduce Bill to Honor McAuliffe, Support STEM Programs

Members Fred Upton (R MI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Randy Hultgren (R IL), and Suzanne Bonamici (D OR) filed a similar bill with the same name in the House of Representatives.
See also: Upton and Dingell Team Up for Legislation to Champion FIRST Robotics

These bills are important to FIRST as they honor an individual committed to developing students. In addition, as a project of the United States Mint Commemorative Coin Program, proceeds from the sale of these coins will benefit a named non-profit organization, in this case FIRST. These proceeds will be used to support all programs in FIRST.

There are a number of steps between issuing a bill and passing legislation, and this is where FIRST teams come in. The legislation will advance as soon as enough support is collected. View Quicklinks on this page for listings of current cosponsors.

For your homework, please visit your representatives in Congress and the Senate (view Quicklinks on this page for listings in your state) and urge them to support the respective House (bill # 5168) and Senate (bill # 2890) bill for the “Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act.” Please note, the best time to contact Representatives and Senators is when they are home on recess. Both Houses are out on recess from July 18 until Labor Day.

Also, let us know about your visit and the support of your representative for this legislation by completing the homework submission form.

Dean Kamen

commemorative coin

Coin rendering by Jack Kamen