Christa McAuliffe Could Be On Commemorative $1 Coin

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Tuesday to honor a Concord educator as well as raise funds for STEM education. The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act was cosponsored by 81 Senators to create a coin to honor the popular Concord teacher who perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Proceeds for the coin will be used to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

McAuliffe, a long-time social studies teacher at Concord High School, was selected to be the first educator to be a part of the Teacher in Space program in 1985. On Jan. 28, 1986, she and six other astronauts – Gregory Jarvis, Ronald McNair, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, and Dick Scobee – died after the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida. McAuliffe, who grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts, was 37. The explosion was later blamed on O-ring seals that had frozen.

U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, the prime sponsors of the bill, commended their colleagues in the Senate for showing bipartisan support for the coin.

"Christa McAuliffe continues to serve as a role model and inspiration for Granite Staters and Americans across the country seeking to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and math," Shaheen said. "By further strengthening support for STEM education, this bill honors Christa’s legacy as a passionate and dedicated advocate for her students and for science education. I am very pleased that the Senate passed this bipartisan legislation unanimously, and I urge the House of Representatives to pass this bill as soon as possible."

The bill authorizes the U.S. Treasury to issue 350,000 $1 coins with an image of McAuliffe, her name, and a design that depicts her teaching legacy. The design will be reviewed by a committee and also receive approval from treasury officials, her family, and FIRST. The coin will be issued next year and will carry a surcharge of $10 per coin.

"The legacy and example set by Christa McAuliffe will continue to inspire generations of Americans to push the bounds of human knowledge and scientific discovery," Hassan added. "Our bipartisan bill will honor her legacy by using the funds from the Christa McAuliffe commemorative coin to support the FIRST Robotics program, which encourages young people to engage in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this important bipartisan legislation without delay."

The bill also honors the 30th anniversary of the FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – program, an effort to encourage students to learn more about robotics and other science programs.

Since McAuliffe's death, many new schools, including one in Concord, have been named after Christa, as well as a planetarium, also in Concord. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation also funds an annual sabbatical for Granite State teachers in McAuliffe's honor. Memorial services are also held to celebrate her life.

Read the full bill's text online.

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