The Apollo 11 astronauts signed autographs as life insurance policies.

Apollo 11 astronauts

The Apollo 11 mission was a dangerous endeavor that put the crew’s lives at risk, a fact not lost on astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Aware of the risks ahead, the crew of the historic moon mission signed autographs as a way to provide for their families in case of disaster. At the time, standard life insurance policies were extremely expensive for interstellar missions, and would not have adequately supported the astronauts’ families. So, lacking any traditional protection, the astronauts cleverly realized that there was a market out there for signatures from American heroes such as themselves.

The three men entered quarantine roughly a month ahead of the July 1969 mission to the moon. During their free time, they signed hundreds of autographs known as “covers” — signed envelopes postmarked with important dates, such as the date of the moon landing itself. The covers were delivered to the astronauts’ families, who held onto them in the event that tragedy struck. Thankfully, the Apollo 11 crew returned unharmed, so these “insurance policies” weren’t sold. The crews of Apollo 12 through 16 continued this tradition until 1972, though all of those crafts also returned safely. In the 1990s, covers from the Apollo 11 mission began appearing in memorabilia auctions and commanded incredible value, some selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

The first American to orbit Earth became a U.S. senator.

John Glenn is an American icon. He first served the country by flying 149 missions during World War II and the Korean War, and in 1959, he was selected to be one of the Mercury Seven, NASA’s inaugural class of astronauts. These men became the first Americans to travel into space in 1961. A year later, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. His accomplishment was met with tremendous fanfare back in New York City, where he was celebrated with a ticker tape parade in March 1962, during which 3,474 tons of confetti were dropped from the skies. Glenn parlayed his success into the political world, representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 1974 to 1999. However, he returned to space once again in 1998, becoming the oldest person to do so at the time.