How Neil Armstrong autographed cards to provide money for his family if he died on the way to the moon... because he couldn't afford life insurance



If you're attempting the first ever landing on the moon, taking out life insurance might not be a bad idea.



But for Neil Armstrong, who was on a federal salary of just $17,000 at the time of the moon landing in 1969, there was no way to afford the $50,000-a-year policy - more than $300,000 in today's money.

So the astronaut came up with an inventive way to make sure his family were provided for should he not return - he signed a series of space-themed envelopes they could sell.

'Insurance': Neil Armstrong could not afford life insurance before going to the moon in 1969 so he and his fellow astronauts signed envelopes (pictured) to raise money for their families, should they die

Armstrong, whose funeral is being held in Ohio today after he passed away on August 25, signed hundreds of the envelopes in the weeks leading up to the landing attempt in July 1969.

His fellow Apollo 11 astronauts, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, signed the same envelopes, completing the task as they all spent a month in quarantine before take-off.

To ensure the signed covers would fetch top prices, the men put stamps on them, wrapped them in a package and posted them to a friend.

He took the envelopes to a post office to postmark them on important dates, such as July 16, 1969 - the day Apollo was launched - and July 20 - the day they landed on the moon.



Smart: Armstrong, pictured on July 20, 1969, knew the envelopes would fetch top prices should they die Looking out for his family: Armstrong is pictured in August 1963 with his wife Janet and their two sons He then delivered them to the families. If the mission failed at any point, the astronauts hoped their celebrity status would mean generous bidders for the envelopes. Armstrong hoped the money would be enough to provide for his wife Janet and their two sons, Eric, then 12, and Mark, six. 'You're about to embark on a mission that's more dangerous than anything any human has ever done before,' Robert Pearlman, a space historian from CollectSpace.com, told NPR . 'And you have a family that you're leaving behind on Earth, and there's a real chance you will not be returning. 'These astronauts had been signing autographs since the day they were announced as astronauts, and they knew even though eBay didn't exist back then, that there was a market for such things.'

Teamwork: Armstrong, (left), Michael Collins (centre) and Buzz Aldrin (right, all pictured before the mission) signed hundreds of cards and sent them to a friend, who postmarked them on the day Apollo 11 set off

Loved ones: The men completed the task while in quarantine before their trip. Here, (L-R) Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are greeted by their wives Pat Collins, Jan Armstrong and Joan Aldrin from quarantine

Success! The cards were not needed as Armstrong successfully stepped on the moon on July 20, 1969

He added that the men hoped the money would fund day-to-day expenses and college educations.

But these alternative insurance policies were never needed. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon hours after landing on 20 July, 1969, and they returned safely to Earth days later.



The contingency plan became common practice among Apollo astronauts and they are now referred to as Apollo Insurance Covers.

Other astronauts employing the trick included Alan Bean, Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon who landed on the moon just months after Armstrong in Apollo 12. That, too, was a successful mission.

Covers still exist today and are a sought-after collector's item. An Apollo 11 insurance autograph can cost as much as $30,000, NPR reported.



Missed: Armstrong, pictured in June, passed away on August 25 after heart surgery. He was 82 years old

Armstrong is being remembered on Friday at a funeral service in Ohio. He passed away last week at the age of 82 as he recovered from heart surgery.

'Neil was among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time,' President Obama said in a statement after Armstrong's death.

'Neil's spirit of discovery lives on in all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploring the unknown – including those who are ensuring that we reach higher and go further in space.