Slashdot Mirror
Customs Forms for Moon Rocks
regen writes "I found a very interesting document while doing some research for work. This Customs Declaration has to be one of the strangest ever filled out. It is the declaration filled out by the crew of Apollo 11 for bringing Moon rocks into the United States.
A news article by Independent News confirms that this document is real."
Does that cover fully armed ICBM's too if you launch them from one part of the US to another?
object: express delivery for the Yucatan peninsula
date: 65,000,000 B.C.
contains: large amount of the iridium element
notes: package is very heavy, do not drop.
Another interesting document which has been mentioned elsewhere: the text of a speech which was prepared for President Nixon (by William Safire, no less) in case there was some sort of disaster that marooned Armstrong and Aldrin on the lunar surface, complete with additional instructions about the protocol to be followed. Though the speech was (thankfully) never needed, it remains an interesting footnote to what will probably be remembered as NASA's most successful series of missions.
Eric
--
Be who you are...and be it in style!
Posted by targo:
convieniently don't say anything about the killer micro-organisms that they brought back. The guys, all their clothing and everything else were actually put in a pretty serious quarantine for weeks to check if they had brought back anything serious.
Check out NASA's version of the story.
If it were French, the custom agents would have had to make sure there was no Swastikas inscribed on the rocks.
They are busy trying to block extraterrestrial reruns of the 1936 Olympics.
__
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
Actually Slashdot is kind of out-of-date on this one. The Register had this story about a month ago and I'm pretty sure I saw it linked in a post here on Slashdot a day or two before that.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
...from the same nation's gov't bureaucracy that can't figure out prior art in patents...
Surprised?
--- http://foo.ca
Newbie.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Neither the Moon nor the ISS is part of Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, or Yugoslavia, so it doesn't matter.
You are aware that the crypto rules were relaxed almost a year ago, right?
Steven E. Ehrbar
Wasn't it "Shuttle Down" by Lee Correy ? Lee Correy being a pen name for one the senior NASA blokes, first published in Analog IIRC
Don't forget that there'd also be about 20 more forms to fill out.
Well all the amusing quips that /.ers are coming up with are just swell, but I'd like to seriously know if they were required to fill this form our, or did they do it as their own form of humor?
Shit any good diamonds lately?
"The deep-fried Mars bar is a symptom of a wider crisis." -- Nutritionist Ann Ralph, on the Scottish diet
July 24, 1969
Honolulu, Hawaii
Customs Agent: Citizenship?
Astronaut: American.
C: How long away?
A: About a week.
C: Anything to declare?
A: Nope.
C: Would you mind opening your bag, sir?
A: Uh, okay.
C: Would you mind explaining this, sir?
A: It's a rock.
C: No, sir. Would you mind explaining this white powder?
A: Huh?
C: What are you, playing dumb? What's this white powder?
A: It's just a dust sample. It goes with the rock.
C: It goes with the rock. What's that supposed to mean?
A: I don't understand.
C: Do you have a problem with your hearing, sir? I asked you to explain this white powder.
A: I picked that up while I was away.
C: Did you, now? And where might you be coming from?
A: The moon.
C: The moon.
A: That's right, the moon.
C: So this rock is from the moon, right?
A: That's right.
C: And this white powder --
A: It's moondust.
C: Oh, I see. It's MOONdust. Would you come with me, sir?
A: What, now?
C: Yes. Now.
A: But I have to report for debrief --
C: DOWN ON THE FLOOR! NOW!!
"The deep-fried Mars bar is a symptom of a wider crisis." -- Nutritionist Ann Ralph, on the Scottish diet
It's nice to hear that even space can't escape american bureaucracy. I can just imagine the customs official "Anything to declare?".
The capsule and astronauts were soused with disinfectant foam, and subsequently put in quarantine for weeks.
They were soused, huh? I'm not surprised that they were confined, ANYONE drinking disinfectant foam probably needs to be locked up, and given a very thorough mental examination.
--
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Why? What would they do if they found one? Roll over and start screaming, "WE SURRENDER!"?
--
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Actually, no the name really is "Moon". See my comment here. Where do people get these strange ideas?
You know, I read your post and thought "He's right, but he should be able to provide a reference...". So I went to look for one, but it seems according to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature and NASA You're just plain wrong. The name of Earth's moon is "Moon". Luna just happens to be the Italian word for it.
I believe the astronauts were placed in quarantine for a week or two afterward in order to make sure they didn't have any diseases.
"When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it
It's obvious why. Collins stayed up during the mission while the other two went down. They just got so used to those positions, it carried over to form-signing.
Wouldn't they have to fill out one of these forms every time their orbit took them over the united states?
Merely entering a country from another country. The outbond trip you are expected to be recieved by customs of the entering country. It is not our fault the moom didn't do what it was supposed to.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/auspac/03/15 /newzealand.mir/index.html
IMO, Latin is a good compromise language for an official name, and certainly it has the benefit that the majority of planet and major moon names are already in Latin, so it would at least be consistent. Furthermore, "lunar" is the accepted adjective form, even in English.
Well, you never know... Don't forget about the Mir Space Fungus!
Now the question is, how long will it be before the first interplanetary cavity search?
Journal Entry, 3/19/4265 - Today I touched the face of God. What a rush! But I'm psyched to finally be done with this mission so I can get home and see the new season of E.R. What a show! I hope they bring back the reincarnated Dr. Hathaway. Dude, she is so hot! I am not excited about cleaning the gutters, though. Hopefully, I can get the kids to take care of it so I can spend some more time trying to beat my previous timed-run in Doom 4000
Some cherished dogmas will be around forever...
--
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
"To be determined."
I'll be sure to try that line out next time I go south to buy cigarettes...
Wah!
If it were serious, the correct flight number would be on the form.
The form said that they arrived in Honolulu on "Apollo 13". In fact they arrived by ship on the USS Hornet, so that millitary shipping number is what should be on the form. Since it isn't, this form can't be a serious document.
sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
Bleah. I shouldn't post before the first caffeine of the day. You knew what I meant, anyway. :-)
sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
Nah. Just deport 'em to Canada.
Maybe this has something to do with that phrase,
Take off, eh?
You'd think you'd double-check on such a historic form, but..
-bugg
I wonder how much the original document would go for on E-bay?
You think they'd hesitate letting in a moon rock? I doubt it. That's green cheese man! Those frenchies LOVE their cheese, especially if it is of an unusual/disturbing color.
Reminds me of something similar.
In the book Lost Moon, about the Apollo 13 mission, it says that the geeks at the contractor that built the lunar module sent the geeks at the contractor that built the (broken) command module an invoice, for towing charges, oxygen supplies, electrical power, etc.
Did they think they wouldn't be able to find the astronauts or NASA again if they didn't fill out customs paperwork? Do government agencies typically need to fill out such paperwork for other instances? Could they have been rejected and sent back to the moon? Who at the Hawaii airport decided that Cuban cigars, textiles from China, and moon rocks all fit into the same category?
It's just strange - will they do the same thing when people start going into space on their own? Will the Microsoft/Disney/Pepsico shuttle be required to declair if it has any fruit on board?
The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.
hehe
Imagine the noise he'll make when he receives his fully body cavity search....
Hey, that's almost insulting since mine is under this weird limit. I'm kinda old timer on the ICQ :)
AFAIK, that was never ratified/accepted by the U.N. (although I'm not entirely sure on that).
> Any threat or use of force or any other hostile act or threat of hostile act on the moon is prohibited. It is likewise prohibited to use the moon in order to commit any such act or to engage in any such threat in relation to the earth.
Hmmm. Glad they thought of everything.
BTW, the moon is owned by the Lunar Embassy.
I liked the response to the question, "Any other condition on board which may lead to the spread of disease:"
Answer: "TO BE DETERMINED"
No sig? Sigh...
This is how we keep out the Foot and Mouth disease, you know... =)
I presume you are not nor have ever been a student if you think green is an unusual colour for cheese......
----
I hereby inform you that I have NOT been required to provide any decryption keys.
1. Microbeskis 2. Space Viruskis 3. Hundreds of thousands of itty-bitty flying debriskis. 4. Thousands of pieces of deadly, smouldering projectileuskas
So I guess that sort of negates my claim to the Andromeda Galaxy! Bummer!
You're using her as bait, Master!
Good for you.
My belief is that you don't really exist but are part of a billion dollar conspiracy to get idiots to watch the Fox Network.
When punk rock is outlawed, only outlaws will have punk rock.
Dude, calm down. Isn't it much more likely that this reflects no policy, only random bureaucratic confusion? Chances are some relatively minor functionary brough up the customs question, nobody had any idea what the answer was, and some other functionary decided to have the form filled out just to cover their ass.
Besides, I'm sure the official U.S. position on "moon ownership" is already sufficiently well documented elsewhere.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
Trust me, if you're launching ICBMs from one part of the U.S. and targeting another part, you have much more important things to worry about than Customs declarations!
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
Mod this one up! Guffah!
Are they required to show passports that they are American citizens? If they lost them/can't prove it, are they sent back to the moon ? :)
Didn't Buzz Aldrin actually have a cold at some point? Or am I getting confuzzled with "apollo 13" again? Mmm, Tang. -- F.S.
If you look a little closer, the paper said "Apollo 11". Apollo 13 is the one that didn't get to land.
Edward Burr
Edward Burr
Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.
And besides, you wouldn't want them to try to smuggle in any illegal aliens, would you?
KFG
Luna is the Latin/Italian word for moon. Do you call this planet Terra by any chance?
Actually the really funny thing about that was he *thought* he'd bought Tower bridge - the ornate one with the hinged roadway to let ships underneath. Only to find he'd actually bought the old London Bridge - a rather unimpressive concrete thing...
Oh how we laughed!
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
"Information wants to be paid"
________
Does anyone actually have a Java program designed to control air traffic, or for the operation of a nuclear facility?
If it were French, the custom agents would have had to make sure there was no Swastikas inscribed on the rocks.
Hopefully I didn't put any [] around my words.
Why yes, yes I do: "That's one small step for man..."
Any other condition on board which may lead to the spread of disease:
TO BE DETERMINED
I wonder if they ever have? :)
So thats the real reson were are not on Mars yet -
Fucking customs...
hmm... for fun I enjoy launching DDoS attacks against 127.87.42.5
I don't believe that it was entirely tongue-in-cheek. When I last studied the customs laws, in the context of exporting and importing cryptographic "munitions", I noted that there was an exception provided for both the export, and import, of rockets which are launched from within the US borders. IOW, if you launch a rocket from Florida into outer space and it re-enters in Albequerque, no import declaration need be filed.
It was more amusing when NASA got entry visas from the US Immigration and Naturalization service to bring back two aliens from space.
Cosmonauts Vladimir Dezurov and Grennady Strekalov were launched from Kazakstan to Mir and destined to land in the United States via Space Shuttle Atlantis.
* Slashdot is so out of date. This was made in 1969. Why isn't slashdot up with the times?
* So now do meteors have to fill out forms before they fall to earth?
* This is where Mulder and Scully need to start searching for alien technology! in Customs records.
So, did NASA take a casulty deduction on their 1040 when the Mars Observer blew up?
--
$tar -xvf
When they land, do they have to go through customs physically? Does anyone check their luggage? Do the DEA agents have dogs sniff the space suits to make sure they haven't smuggled back any moon crack? And does NASA pick up the duty charges?
I'm reminded of the movie, 2010, when the deteriorating political situation required the American astronauts to be "recalled" to Discovery. It's just so eerily believable...
How territorial we humans are.
--
Accountability on the heads of the powerful.
Power in the hands of the accountable.
Tongue in cheek... hmmm... Travelling frequently I have to say that entering the US is the a awkward feeling, just slightly short of eastern block countries when communism was alive and kicking. A German author (Paul Waczlawik) wrote about Customs and INS: "You will be treated like a common criminal. Don't take it personally though, they treat everybody that way." The Apollo crew was really lucky... Walter
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
Just another way to profile people...
-----
GeekWares - Buy and Download Today!
Which is of course why *we* don't have a lot of nasty diseases that are floating around the rest of the world
I love my island fortress (now if only I was actually living there ...)
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
Is this because the Apollo astronauts come in on a ship after being pickup at sea? Would the same happen if the space shuttle landed future moon rocks or anything else on US soil. Would you need to fill out paper work on space junk? Is this a way of saying to the rest of the world that the US does not consider the moon to be part of the US? Dose any one have any insight on this.
I think they maxed out their exemptions on this trip.
Judging the appraised value of moon rocks, the customs duty on said articles'd be enough to put the Armstrong family in hock to Uncle Sam for a few generations...
--- Jump!! Fire!! Bullet time!! - Lego version of the Matrix
It may have been a way to get the autographs of the crew for the customs folks...
I'm amused by the bottom left of the image... where the form asks for any information regarding "Conditions on board which may lead to the spread of disease" and it's marked as "To be determined"...
In the "Any other condition on board which may lead to the spread of disease" field, they put TBD!!! They convieniently don't say anything about the killer micro-organisms that they brought back. Oh wait that was a Michael Crichton story.
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
my belief is that the us never made it to the moon. it was a billion dollar conspiracy created to create an illusion that would leave everyone believing that the us goverment has much more powerful technology then the former soviet union. unbelievable? well believe it!
That sound you hear is thousnads of Scientologists gasping at the thought of Xenu getting held up at the border upon his triumphant return.
From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc
What was the market value of the first moon rocks?
Except that 'The Register' ran this story several weeks ago.
checked them too. I mean come on, there travelling with a guy who's middle name is Buzz. Moon dust........ sure it's moon dust.
And don't be forgettink evil space fungus...
End of lesson. You may press the button.
Why is that so strange, I can see that it's pretty unusual, it coming from the moon and all. But I really don't see anything strange in it. I mean, you can't even bring s piece of sausage from europe into Australia... Why aren't we posting about that? Ok, this one I guess I asked for...
Any technology distinguishable from magic, is insufficiently advanced.
I love the smell of Karma in the morning
10. Hey, some guy on the moon paid me 50 bucks to bring this back 9. This isn't my suitcase! 8. I brought this moon rock with me on the trip out 7. You can have half if you let me go 6. No, no, this is a piece of the Berlin Wall 5. Hey, aren't you going to check Armstrong? 4. Lunar customs didn't have a problem with it! 3. This is a paperweight - didn't you see the pictures of all that stuff flying around the capsule? 2. What's the tax on a rock anyway? 1. This is just moon cheese - take a bite!
-----------
-----------
If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, forget 'em, because man, they're gone. -- Jack
I think its nice to know that in america they care so much about public health that they had them fill out a form to make sure it was safe!
Fight censors!
"Not my manner of thinking but the manner of thinking of others has been the source of my unhappiness." - M
This was posted on The Register (www.theregister.co.uk), like, 2 or 3 weeks ago. Lamedot. It's getting easier and easier to skip this site on the list of things to read each day...
Dont' give 'em too hard a time. They had a job to do and they got it done. Refreshing, if you've ever had to work with Gov't agencies and wait and wait and wait for something to get done.
The DMV should take lessons!!!!!! :-)
drive stainless. It doesn't get you around the DMV, a DMC just makes the DMV worthwhile!
"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"
Sen. Davy Crocket to US Congress, Nov. 1, 1835
Couldn't you argue that the US owns the moon?
I mean, they were the only ones to land there, and place a flag there (which is whats traditionally done when claiming newly explored land).
I don't think this should be the case (i wonder if i could own my own planetoid if i moved there...). Anyways, if it was US land, then why did they have to fill out a customs form when returning from the fifty-first state?
-MR
-Michael Roy Some people are like Slinkies. Not really useful, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down
"Moon" is no more the place name of Earth's Moon than "Continent" is the place name of Australia. The specific Moon which Armstrong et al visited has a specific place name: Luna. That is what should have been written on the form.
Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
the best part, of course, is where the form says "Departure from ____" and i can just picture the official typing in "Moon"
As everyone knows, the real reason we went to the moon is for the cheese. Foodstuffs, like aforementioned 'rocks', are always declared!
-----
IANASRP- I am not a self-referential phrase
-----
-----
IANASRP- I am not a self-referential phrase
-----
email: proprietary becomes free, org to com
If you live in the Bay Area, a contemporary copy of the customs declaration (probably required in triplicate) can be seen on USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier (now a floating museum in Alameda) that hauled many of the Apollo capsules out of the Pacific and took them to Hawaii. It was clearly done as a tongue in cheek thing by US Customs, and possibly to cop a little reflected glamour from the moon shot. Incidentally, there was a very real concern about the astronauts bringing "moon bugs" back with them. The capsule and astronauts were soused with disinfectant foam, and subsequently put in quarantine for weeks.
-- "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" -- Juvenal
Customs had to be sure that they were not humongous crack rocks.
__________________ Hey Moderators!! Fuck Off! Thanks.
Looks like Slashdot beat the thesmokinggun.com to the scoop!
-- What? Another
I for one welcome our new SCOviet Russian overlords to whom all our base are belong.
"To be determined"
--
--
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house"
-George Carlin