(1985) Medal Space Shuttle - Discovery Silver

Coin Details

Description

The 1985 Space Shuttle Discovery silver medal is part of a series of .999 fine silver commemoratives honoring NASA's Space Shuttle fleet. Discovery (OV-103) first flew on August 30, 1984 (STS-41-D) and would go on to become the most-flown orbiter in the shuttle program, completing thirty-nine missions over twenty-seven years of service before its final flight on March 9, 2011. The orbiter was named after several famous vessels of exploration, including Henry Hudson's Discovery and one of the ships that accompanied Captain James Cook on his third Pacific voyage. The obverse features a depiction of the Space Shuttle Discovery in its orbital configuration, with inscriptions identifying the specific orbiter. Discovery played a critical role at two pivotal moments in shuttle history: it was selected as the "return to flight" vehicle after both the Challenger disaster in 1986 (STS-26) and the Columbia disaster in 2003 (STS-114), a testament to NASA's confidence in the orbiter's structural integrity. The reverse carries complementary shuttle program imagery and inscriptions. Struck in one troy ounce of .999 fine silver at 35mm diameter with a serialized reeded edge, the Discovery medal was produced in 1985 when the orbiter was still in its first year of operations. Discovery would eventually become the vehicle that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope (STS-31, 1990), carried Senator John Glenn on his return to space at age seventy-seven (STS-95, 1998), and performed numerous International Space Station assembly missions. Upon retirement, Discovery was transferred to the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, where it remains on permanent public display.

Rarity Notes

One troy ounce .999 fine silver, serialized on edge. Part of a Space Shuttle orbiter series. Limited mintage. Discovery went on to become the most-flown shuttle with 39 missions.

Cross References

PCGS #974427; Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103); first flight STS-41-D, August 30, 1984; retired March 9, 2011