The "big deal", at least according to NASA and congress, was that the crew accepted funds ($7,000 each) to transport the items to the surface of the moon withou

The "big deal", at least according to NASA and congress, was that the crew accepted funds ($7,000 each) to transport the items to the surface of the moon without informing NASA officials. I don't have a firm opinion on the matter. I just remember feeling a bit sad when I first read the story as a high-school kid, thinking that the Apollo astronauts would need to supplement their NASA salary with the 1971 equivalent of eBay. That may not have been the case, though.