Every little boy has a dream of being an astronaut. The endless space and the adventure just fascinates them. I guess none of them are concerned that this occupation is so dangerous that none of the insurers have had courage to offer life insurance for first astronauts.

Humans endeavor in space has began with USA and Russia race to be the first nation to land on a moon. In the late 1960`s Apollo missions have been going at full speed with both Apollo 8 to 10 have successfully launched and orbited the moon. By the summer of 1969 NASA has been ready to try something new – land on a moon and then get back safely to earth. Now considering the engineering and other difficulties the program has inherited from previous attempt, the mission has been considered extremely dangerous. Imagine if you are going to embark for a mission that is more extreme then any human has ever done. Its more then likely that nor your nor your colleagues will return from it. Furthermore, you are a family person and leaving your loved ones behind and there is a real chance you are not returning. What would do first? Probably buy sophisticated life insurance policy.

The struggle has been that no self-respecting insurance company has been willing to offer such policy for soon to become heroes. The three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin have had to be creative. The three of them have already been famous after the announcement of the mission. They knew the value of post collectibles. They have decided to sign as many autographs as they can while they have been placed in quarantine a month before a mission. The three of them have had free time and managed to sign hundred of postcards which later have been handed over to friends. Then during the mission on certain dates like launch or landing on the moon the friends have brought these postcards to post office and got stamped with a date. The cards have been handed over to astronauts families. These signed and stamped postcards would have been immense value – like an insurance policy – if the Apollo 11 mission would have failed.

The Apollo 11 mission has returned safely to earth and since then astronauts have signed many free autographs. The idea of self insurance policy in form of signed cards have been repeated in Apollo 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 missions. You might wonder why there has been no postcards in the last Apollo 17 mission. This has been due to a scandal when Apollo 15 astronauts have smuggled 398 unauthorized postcards to a ship and brought them to the moon and back.

It is thought that one such postcard is worth about 30 000 USD. The postcard tradition has ended but NASA hasn’t managed to obtain a proper life insurance coverage till today. There are talks that Canadian space agency pays from 3 to 5 mln USD for every astronaut it insured.