This may be the only exciting piece of government paperwork you’ll ever read. Buzz Aldrin conquered Throwback Thursday forever last week when he shared his travel voucher from the Apollo 11 mission on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s an unassuming document: a travel voucher for Col. Edwin E. Aldrin for a round trip originating in Houston, Texas. But the whole story of the most historic space mission to date is right there, listed matter-of-factly as a series of destinations in the right-hand column of the first page: Cape Kennedy, Florida; Moon; Pacific Ocean (USN Hornet); and Hawaii.
On the next page, the voucher spells out the details of travel arrangements for a business trip to the Moon. Aldrin drove his own car from his residence to Ellington Air Force Base outside Houston, Texas. From there to Cape Kennedy, he flew on a government aircraft. Nothing unusual so far, but you’ve got to wonder what the typist thought while typing out the next two lines:
- Cape Kennedy, Florida to Moon: Government Spacecraft
- Moon to Cape Kennedy, Florida: Government Spacecraft
The form also notes that “Government meals and quarters [were] furnished for all of the above dates.” NASA really thought of everything.
Contact the author at k.smithstrickland@gmail.com.