From 1961 to 1972, the ability of astronauts to obtain life insurance was limited. That’s when the crew of Apollo 11 came up with a clever idea. The crew signed hundreds of postcards before they left, on the presumption that they would become highly valuable in the event of their death. The crew would designate a trusted ally with the postcards, who would then have them cancelled at the Kennedy Space Center post office on the day of launch and/or on the day of the lunar landing. There are three varieties of the Apollo 11 postcards, four of Apollo 12, two of Apollo 13, two of Apollo 14, one of Apollo 15, and one of Apollo 16. Some astronauts also left behind single signed postcards for their families.
