The Apollo 11 crew had a risky job and couldn't buy life insurance to protect their families, so they made their own!
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.
"If they did not return from the moon, their families could sell them -- to not just fund their day-to-day lives, but also fund their kids' college education and other life needs," Pearlman said.
Brilliant... but then, they were astronauts.
