Oh, customs, the most annoying part of the end of a journey. You have to stand there forever, being questioned endlessly about the ins and outs of your trip.
While we all understand the essential need for it, in 1969, one group of travelers surely must have been confused.
In 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 spent nearly eight days in space, including 22 hours on the actual moon. It was kind of a big deal. Millions of people around the world watched it. It changed the course of history … and so on and so forth.
Yet, not everyone was overly impressed. After making the giant leap for mankind, the astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Charles Duke, and Pete Conrad had to make that one small step… through U.S. Customs.
Yes, after returning in a fiery ball to the blue marble we all call home, the astronauts were told to gather their things, fill out a declaration form and just hop in line, thankyouverymuch.
They had to declare moon rocks. There’s a form and everything. It’s hysterical.
Buzz Aldrin shared a photo of the customs form on Twitter, saying “Imagine spending eight days in space, including nearly 22 hours on the Moon and returning home to Earth only to have to go through customs.”
It became a joke around NASA because it is just so funny to think about them standing there in their giant astronaut suits (not that they had them on) with a customs official asking if they thought they were being clever when they replied, “moon rocks.”
Here’s the declaration form:
Here’s the declaration form:
Imagine spending 8 days in space, including nearly 22 hours on the Moon and returning home to Earth only to have to go through customs! 😀 #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/FvtSVwSD1f
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 28, 2021
