Jeb Bush*s pocket change is currently hurtling past Pluto
~!~ In the crowded field of 2016 contenders desperately vying to stand out, Jeb Bush can make one amazing boast right now: he*s the only candidate with a piece of pocket change hurtling through space// (ukcanadaus)
~!~ This morning, NASA*s New Horizons spacecraft made history as the first mission to Pluto, coming within 7,800 miles of the dwarf planet// On board was a Florida state quarter given to Alan Stern, New Horizons* principal investigator, by then-Gov// Jeb Bush in 2005//(ukcanadaus)
~!~ As Stern told the website CollectSpace//com in 2008, the quarter was part of a scheme he and a NASA official cooked up to help get Bush*s support for the launch// Because New Horizons was a nuclear launch, equipped with a plutonium-powered battery that allowed it to leave earth at the highest speeds ever, the governor needed to sign off// They came up with the idea of offering to fly a Florida state quarter, which features a rocket headed towards space// They couldn*t find one on their trip to visit the governor for a briefing; after he signed off anyway, Stern mentioned with regret that he hadn*t found an appropriate quarter//(ukcanadaus)
~!~ After Bush*s quarter was in place, the scientists found they needed one more for balance on the delicately calibrated spacecraft// They chose a Maryland quarter, for the state where New Horizons was built//