When America’s first rocket scientist, Robert Goddard, theorized that rockets could reach the moon, the New York Times harshly criticized him and wrote that he “lacked the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.” 49 years later, Apollo 11 succeeded and the NYT published a retraction.
The Apollo 11 Astronauts Had to Go Through Customs When They Came Back from the Moon
July 20 marked the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s famous moon landing. Those brave men did something no one had ever done before, uniting humanity in awe and wonder at the mysteries of the universe.
Apparently, humanity is also united in experiencing the joys of going through customs upon entering the country – even those astronauts.
Photo Credit: NASA/U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
Just like anyone coming off a long trip—for work no less—the men of Apollo 11 were probably ready for a beer and a nice steak dinner. Instead, a brief interaction with the local, friendly customs agent was in order.
The astronauts declared moon rock, moon dust and other moon samples on the form as they entered the United States through Honolulu Airport, Hawaii, after landing in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. Their ocean splash-down was the end of their historic voyage to the moon.
All three crewmen—Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin—signed the form. Their point of departure was recorded as Cape Kennedy, Florida, with a stopover on the moon before arrival in Honolulu.
Photo Credit: NASA
Website Space.com found the customs form on the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol site, where it went up as a commemoration for the 40th anniversary of the moon visit. NASA verified that, yes, the form is real. But it was all done in fun.
The actual return to earth happened about 920 miles southwest of Hawaii and only 12 miles from the USS Hornet, the navy ship deployed to pick up the astronauts. The trip to Honolulu would take an additional two days.
As for the declaration of health, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin were all quarantined inside a NASA trailer on board the USS Hornet to prevent the spread of any moon diseases. They even had to wear special biohazard suits while on deck after getting pulled from the seas.
Photo Credit: NASA
The astronauts, trailer and all, were taken to Houston. Then, three weeks later they were allowed to leave isolation and go to all the parties and parades they were due.
Present day astronauts don’t have to sit in isolation. When they return from the International Space Station, they receive a quick medical checkup before they are free to move about the earth. But whenever they return, they—like the rest of us earthlings—have to go through customs.
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The Apollo 11 Astronauts Were Honored with Butter Sculptures at the Ohio State Fair
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, the three astronauts on that mission are being honored with life-sized sculptures made out of butter at the Ohio State Fair.
How do Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin like to eat their ice cream? In floats! Your time is waning to come to the @OhioStateFair to enjoy Velvet Ice Cream and see the three astronauts commemorated in butter. #Apollo50th #OSF19 pic.twitter.com/cx7dgAEraL
— ADA Mideast (@adamideast) July 31, 2019
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed on the moon and changed the course of history. The state of Ohio has a strong kinship with space travel: Neil Armstrong was an Ohio native and so was John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Ohio also has a long history of dairy production. Combine all those factors together and you get the magnificent butter display at this year’s Ohio State Fair.
If you are lucky enough to be able to go to the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, don’t miss the traditional “cow made out of…
Posted by Suellen Brady-Nugent on Thursday, July 25, 2019
Dairy farmers donated over 2,000 pounds of butter to help create the sculptures. An artist from Cincinnati named Paul Brooke and a team of sculptors spent 400-500 hours creating the buttery tributes in a cooler set at 46 degrees to prevent the pieces from melting.
Here’s a cool time-lapse video of the butter being sculpted:
Legen-DAIRY: This year's Ohio State Fair butter sculpture honors the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission, and we're over the MOO-n about it!
MORE: https://t.co/8xQiZavTrx pic.twitter.com/NkrJ7eDGDd— WTOL 11 (@WTOL11Toledo) July 23, 2019
Alexander Balz, one of the artists, said, “The space suits were a real challenge, to be honest. It’s easy to sculpt things that you know. When you sculpt a human being you memorize it, so this was a challenge.”
This Ohio State Fair butter sculpture shows the three Apollo 11 astronauts — Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin — standing next to the lunar module Eagle.
Armstrong saluting the American flag and the footprint on the moon are also recreated. https://t.co/vHwWkunXw3 pic.twitter.com/FkBD0l74Ie
— CNN (@CNN) July 25, 2019
Roughly 500,000 people are expected to have attended the State Fair in late July and early August. Here’s a video with some great footage of the display.
What a unique and cool way to honor a pivotal event in American, and human, history!
And, by the way, I’m really hoping that this butter sculpting catches on more widely because it is fabulous.
The post The Apollo 11 Astronauts Were Honored with Butter Sculptures at the Ohio State Fair appeared first on UberFacts.
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