Customs clearance after reaching the moon

Before becoming the main character in the march in America, the first three astronauts to the moon had to do a job that no one expected: sign customs declarations for entry.

Earth, rock and many other specimens that three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins took on the moon were taken to Honolulu airport in Hawaii on July 24, 1969. It was also the day that Apollo 11 plunged into the Pacific to end the mission of bringing people to the moon for the first time. The US Navy's USS Hornet picked them up and took them to shore. Astronauts are isolated for three weeks in the city of Houston (Texas) to ensure that they do not bring any pathogens from the moon. They even had to wear bio-isolation clothes after boarding the USS Hornet.

In the airport archives, there are customs declarations signed by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. In addition to the list of goods, three astronauts must list their route: departing from Canaveral Cape, Florida State and the destination is the moon.

Three astronauts wear bio-isolation clothes when boarding the USS Hornet to prevent the risk of carrying pathogens from the moon.(Photo: NASA)

The customs declaration was posted on the US Customs and Border Protection website this week on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 on the moon.

" At that time it was like a joke, but now it has become normal ," said John Yembrick, a spokesman for the US Aerospace Agency (NASA).

Today, NASA astronauts still have to go through customs procedures, but they do so for very simple reasons. For example, astronauts who want to go to the International Space Station (ISS) must undergo training courses in Japan, Canada, Europe and Russia to familiarize themselves with many different systems of machines, modules and tools. . This is necessary because ISS was built in 10 years by 16 countries. Therefore, every time they leave or return to the US, the astronauts must go through the customs procedures at the airport.

"Astronauts have special passports issued by the government, but they still have to go through customs procedures like every other citizen, " said Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters, a NASA official.