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What The Apollo 11 Crew Did For Life Insurance

Posted by samzenpus on from the sign-your-life-away dept.

Back in 1969 insurance companies weren't very optimistic about the odds of an astronaut making it back to earth after being launched in a rocket to the moon. The cost of life insurance for the Apollo 11 crew was astronomically high so they came up with a clever solution. A month before launch, the astronauts signed hundreds of autographs that were to be sold if they didn't make it back. From the article: "About a month before Apollo 11 was set to launch, the three astronauts entered quarantine. And, during free moments in the following weeks, each of the astronauts signed hundreds of covers. They gave them to a friend. And on important days — the day of the launch, the day the astronauts landed on the moon — their friend got them to the post office and got them postmarked, and then distributed them to the astronauts' families. It was life insurance in the form of autographs."

6 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. If the odds are against you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    bet against yourself?

  2. Its kind of really sad by tanveer1979 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A group of people embark on a journey which is indeed a giant leap for our entire species. And their kind can't even provide their familes with basic security.

    --
    My Aurora : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91ZsGwJYyg
    FB : https://www.facebook.com/TanveersPhotography
    1. Re:Its kind of really sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I perfectly agree. More practically, why couldn't NASA guarantee an annuity to their families shouldn't they return home?
      I don't think it would have been so detrimental for NASA's balance sheet...

    2. Re:Its kind of really sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Damn right! I hate people who stick their necks out and take risks. They should have spent their careers fixing printers and ducking work in a cubicle somewhere like responsible and productive members of society and not be so irresponsible.

      This is something the science-y liberals will never understand. We have it good enough, dammit. We don't need someone to rock the boat and cause people to hope and dream of better things for themselves and the species.

  3. Fulfilling The Kennedy Dream by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ask not what your Life Insurance can do for you, Ask what you can do for your Life Insurance.

  4. Military officers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A group of people embark on a journey which is indeed a giant leap for our entire species. And their kind can't even provide their familes with basic security.

    All of them were military officers with over 20 years. Wouldn't their families have gotten at least their retirement or something?

    And I'm sure the President would have at least ordered somethign special or worked the system so that the families would have gotten some portion of the military pay.