Interesting bit of trivia.

SkyMan

I just learned that on EVERY shuttle mission a small amount of traveler's cheques are on board so that the astronauts will have some emergency funds in case, because of an emergency, the shuttle lands outside of US territory.

Of course... the astronauts still won't have a photo ID with them...

johnny9434

thank you american express. dont leave home without it

PerryHall

<< <i>I just learned that on EVERY shuttle mission a small amount of traveler's cheques are on board so that the astronauts will have some emergency funds in case, because of an emergency, the shuttle lands outside of US territory.

Of course... the astronauts still won't have a photo ID with them... >>



Do you need an ID to cash a traveler's check? I thought as long as the two signatures on the check matched when you cash/deposite/spend them that they were good and would be honored by the issuing company (you sign every check when you first get them and then you sign each one again as you use them)

SaorAlba

I curse American express travellers cheques. Several years ago the Amex office in Amsterdam wouldn't cash them so I had to take them to a money changer. There was nothing wrong with them but that they were denominated in French Francs(pre-Euro era).

derryb

Surprised they don't carry AGEs.

mingot

Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

ProofArtworkonCircs

<<I curse American express travellers cheques. Several years ago the Amex office in Amsterdam wouldn't cash them so I had to take them to a money changer. There was nothing wrong with them but that they were denominated in French Francs(pre-Euro era).>>

When I moved to New Jersey, I went to a supermarket that sold American Express Money Orders. I paid for my groceries with American Express Travelers checks (in US dollars). They told me to never come back again. I humored them. I have no idea what they were thinking.

JBN

<< <i>Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff. >>



Thanks. GREAT picture. Slim Pickens did a superb job with those lines.

19Lyds

That is interesting but also seems like it must be someone's idea of a joke since the Space Shuttle cannot land at any ole strip that pops up.

MsMorrisine

don't know if they do have traveler's checks, but
nasa has (had) sites in europe in case they have to abort a mission during ascent

lcoopie

I understand it cost $10,000 a pound to launch an object into space,
so the weight of everything is crucial.

travelers checks weigh less than gold obviously.

crypto79

Last time I used travlers checks was in the late 90s and I had the hardest time useing them as nobody wanted them. I ended up trading them in for a little over 90% of value because I was out of money.

mingot

Zero idea if this is legit or not and came across the seller via another thread:

http://cgi.ebay.com/World-War-2-Pilots-9-Coin-Gold-Coin-Survival-Kit-/260793172521?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb87c0229#ht_1524wt_754

WillieBoyd2

James Bond's attache case from the 1963 film "From Russia with Love",
which contained, among other things, 50 British gold sovereigns.

drwstr123

I cancelled my Amex card over a dispute with travelers checks.
(around 1986)

BryceM

Maybe they could just take the shuttle to a hotel dealer and trade it for a few hundred of the local currency. That should be enough to get 'em by for a few days until NASA figures out where they parked.