Buzz Aldrin claimed €33 expenses for moon trip

Last week, John Bercow, Britain’s Commons speaker, was accused of “obscene waste” after racking up a £172 bill for being chauffeur-driven to a conference just 0.7 miles (1.1km) from Parliament.

He also spent £367 taking a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.

Now, Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, has revealed a fascinating piece of memorabilia on social media: the travel voucher he billed NASA for his historic journey into space.

The bureaucratic expense form is beautifully understated, simply listing the destination as “moon” by “government spacecraft”.

#TBT My mission director @Buzzs_xtina's favorite piece of my memorabilia. My travel voucher to the moon. #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/c89UyOfvgY

— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 30, 2015

The full return itinerary, from Houston, also includes Mr Aldrin’s stay in the Pacific Ocean, on the USS Hornet, the ship which recovered Apollo 11.

After filing his claim in August, 1969, Mr Aldrin was presented with a cheque by the government, reimbursing him for the grand total of $33.31.

Adjusted for inflation, that would be $216.59 in today’s money.

Mr Aldrin said on social media that the expense claim was his manager, Christina Korp’s favourite bit of memorabilia in his collection from Apollo 11.

The voucher covers the standard per diem allowance that military personnel were able to claim while away from base, which also includes meals and board.

GQ reported that, as a joke, one astronaut tried to submit an expenses claim at the standard eight US cents per mile, for a trip to the moon, which would have come to around $US80,000.