Apollo 13 Astronaut Forgot to File His Taxes — So NASA Called the IRS and Said He Was ‘Out of Country’

There is a common saying that there are two things that you can’t escape when you are alive, the impending death, and your taxes. But what people did not take into account is that even if you are in Space, you will have to pay the IRS their money. That is part of the story of one of the astronauts in the Apollo 13 mission.

Image Credits: Wikipedia

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A Taxing Realization in Space

On April 12, 1970, just one day after the Apollo mission had been launched, astronaut Jack Swigert suddenly remembered that he forgot to file his taxes, and the deadline was looming. Since no one can exactly come back to Earth whenever they want, as an astronaut, he had to let NASA know and let them handle it.

That is why he radioed the Mission Control asking how to apply for a tax filing extension. The ground crew actually responded with laughter, but Jack was serious, as he was a last-minute replacement for astronaut Ken Mattingly, who was exposed to German measles before the launch. After letting NASA know, he was out of options and had to trust them to be able to get him an extension.

Read more: Space.com

NASA’s Call to the IRS

The Astronaut Who Forgot to File His Taxes

Since astronaut Jack Swigert is still in space and will be orbiting the Moon during the tax deadline, NASA contacted the IRS on his behalf. They explained that Jack was “out of the country” and would need some extension.

This is a phrase that became popular due to how understated it is, but at the same time, it was true. Astronaut Jack Swigert was in space and outside the upper atmosphere of the United States, and actually closer to the moon. Due to his unique circumstances, the IRS granted Jack a 60-day extension, enough time for the astronaut to come home and finally file his taxes.

Immortalized in Film

Filing taxes, as every adult knows, can be complicated. The same is true for the astronauts who are in space. It can easily be assumed that the payment will only go to the IRS since NASA headquarters and salaries for their employees are usually in the US. However, there are some instances where the astronauts have dual citizenship and must also make some payment to that other country, like the CRA for Canada.

All of these humorous incident was actually mentioned and featured in the 1995 film “Apollo 13,” where the main actor Kevin Bacon, playing Swigert, delivered the line to tell the NASA mission control that he had forgotten filing his taxes.

Apollo 13 Crew - Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert | Carson Tonight Show

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Author's Final Thoughts

Jack Swigert’s mid-mission tax dilemma serves as an example that even if someone is outside the country, like astronauts are, no matter how understated that statement is, they still have responsibilities and obligations to Earth and their home countries. His experience showcases a unique blend of human mundane tasks together with dangerous and critical space explorations, a very lighthearted but cool story.

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