Buzz Aldrin went through customs after returning from Moon

It was one small step for man but a giant leap for
mankind when Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landed on the Moon on July
20, 1969. The world watched with bated breath when man set foot on the Moon.

It
was a momentous occasion for all of humanity. But when the first two men to
ever step on the moon returned to Earth, they had to go through customs.

The revelation came directly from Buzz Aldrin who
shared an image of the customs form that he and the crew had to fill when the
landed.

Sharing the trivia, Aldrin wrote: “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. Apollo 11”

The photo is dated July 24, 1969 and shows a form
titled “general declaration”. The owner is listed as National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA).

The customs documents contain information about
Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin as well as Michael Collins along with their
signatures.

Under the category of cargo, the form lists: “moon
rock and moon dust samples” that they team carried back with them to Earth.

The form also included a section where the three
astronauts would be checked for disease, they might have brought back with
them. They had to quarantine for weeks in a NASA trailer and wear special
containment suits before rejoining the public.

They even wore special biological containment suits
when they walked the deck of USS Hornet after being retrieved.   

The picture, shared on Twitter, went viral
immediately.

The form was posted on the US Customs and Border
Protection website in 2009 on the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon mission.

NASA confirmed the authenticity of the form. NASA
spokesperson John Yembrick told Space.com, “It was a little joke at the time”.

These days, astronauts still have to fill a customs
form although of a more garden variety.