Neil Armstrong autographed cards to provide money for his family if he died on the way to the moon

He could not afford insurance

If you’re attempting the first ever landing on the moon, taking out life insurance might not be a bad idea.

But for Neil Armstrong, who was on a federal salary of just $17,000 at the time of the moon landing in 1969, there was no way to afford the $50,000-a-year policy - more than $300,000 in today’s money.

So the astronaut came up with an inventive way to make sure his family were provided for should he not return - he signed a series of space-themed envelopes

For Neil Armstrong, who was on a federal salary of just $17,000 at the time of the moon landing in 1969, there was no way to afford the $50,000-a-year policy

they could sell.

Armstrong, whose funeral is being held in Ohio today after he passed away on August 25, signed hundreds of the envelopes in the weeks leading up to the landing attempt in July 1969.

His fellow Apollo 11 astronauts, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, signed the same envelopes, completing the task as they all spent a month in quarantine before take-off.

To ensure the signed covers would fetch top prices, the men put stamps on them, wrapped them in a package and posted them to a friend.

He took the envelopes to a post office to postmark them on important dates, such as July 16, 1969 - the day Apollo was launched - and July 20 - the day they landed on the moon.

‘Insurance’: Neil Armstrong could not afford life insurance before going to the moon in 1969 so he and his fellow astronauts signed envelopes (pictured) to raise money for their families, should they die

Looking out for his family: Armstrong is pictured in August 1963 with his wife Janet and their two sons