Apollo 11 astronauts filled out a customs form upon returning to Earth, listing their cargo as “samples of lunar rock and moon.” They landed southwest of Hawaii and were quarantined for three weeks. The American flag planted on the moon was toppled by debris during liftoff.
After returning to Earth from the first manned mission to the Moon, Apollo 11 astronauts were not exempt from international (or even interplanetary) travel rules. After landing in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins filled out and signed a customs form. The customs form filled out by the three astronauts was released by the US Customs and Border Protection in 2009 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. The form, in which the astronauts listed their cargo as “samples of lunar rock and moon,” is genuine but was meant as a joke. In reality, Apollo 11 landed 920 miles (1,480 km) southwest of Hawaii and reached Pearl Harbor two days later with the help of the Navy ship USS Hornet. Meanwhile, the astronauts remained in a NASA quarantine trailer in case they brought disease from the moon. The customs form documenting their departure from the moon and arrival in Hawaii remains a historic and entertaining memento.
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The Apollo 11 astronauts had to be quarantined for three weeks immediately after returning from the moon, due to concerns about illnesses they might bring back from their travels. Indeed, President Nixon welcomed the astronauts while they were in their quarantine trailer.
When Neil Armstrong first landed on the moon, the mission was actually five hours ahead of schedule.
The American flag that was symbolically planted on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission was toppled by flying debris as the lunar module “Eagle” lifted off to return to Earth.
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