Milestones in Space: Commemorative Coins Marking Historic Events

The Gemini 4 mission, launched on June 3, 1965, marked the first manned spacewalk. A commemorative coin was issued to honor this historic event.

The Apollo 11 mission, launched on July 16, 1969, achieved the first manned lunar landing. A commemorative coin was issued to commemorate this historic event.

The STS-1 mission, launched on April 12, 1981, was the first space shuttle mission. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Skylab, launched on May 14, 1973, was the first space station. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

The Hubble Space Telescope, launched on April 24, 1990, was the first space telescope. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Sojourner, launched on December 4, 1996, was the first Mars rover. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

SpaceShipOne, launched on June 21, 2004, was the first private spaceflight. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Hayabusa, launched on May 9, 2003, was the first asteroid sample return mission. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Voyager 1, launched on September 5, 1977, was the first interstellar mission. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

LIGO, a large-scale interferometer gravitational wave observatory, made the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

The Event Horizon Telescope, a network of radio telescopes, captured the first image of a black hole in 2019. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Ingenuity, a small helicopter carried by the Perseverance rover, made the first successful flight on another planet in 2021. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Inspiration4, launched on September 16, 2021, was the first all-civilian spaceflight. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.

Chang'e 5, launched on November 24, 2020, was the first successful lunar sample return mission in over 40 years. A commemorative coin was issued to mark this historic event.