List of items smuggled into space

Multiple people have covertly sneaked items on to space missions without the knowledge of their superiors. Here is a partial list of those items.

• Gemini 3 astronauts in 1965 brought a corned beef sandwich into orbit, which was widely publicized in the media.[1] They were reprimanded by NASA officials.[2]
• Soviet Cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 29 in 1978 brought chocolates on board their flight, which scattered in orbit and required two hours to collect.[3]
• On December 16, 1965, Walter Schirra discreetly brought a harmonica on board Gemini VI-A and played the song Jingle Bells. The incident marked the first time that a musical instrument was ever played in space and the harmonica is now in the possession of the National Air and Space Museum.[4]
• Schirra also reported bringing Scotch and cigarettes onto a Gemini mission without permission.[5]
• In 1971, Edgar Mitchell brought materials on Apollo 14 to conduct unauthorized experiments into extrasensory perception.[6]

References

1. Ron Miller (1 January 2008). Space Exploration. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-58013-689-1.
2. John M. Logsdon (2008). Human Spaceflight: Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Government Printing Office. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-16-081381-8.
3. Newkirk, Dennis (1990). Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87201-848-2.
4. Randy Weinstein; William Melton (1 October 2012). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing The Harmonica, 2nd Edition. DK Publishing. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-61564-312-7.
5. Wally Schirra (1988). Schirra's Space. Naval Institute Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-55750-792-1.
6. Backstrom, Fia (Winter 2001). "Private Lunar ESP: An Interview with Edgar Mitchell". Cabinet Magazine.