Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins have been in the Mobile Quarantine Facility — and then the Lunar Receiving Laboratory — since splashdown on July 24. The quarantine period is 21 days from last potential contamination.
What is the quarantine actually like?
The Mobile Quarantine Facility is a modified Airstream trailer that was aboard the recovery ship. The crew climbed into it immediately after the recovery helicopter brought them aboard, to prevent any possible contamination of the recovery crew. The trailer has bunk beds, a small kitchen, a bathroom. It was flown to Houston, still sealed, aboard a C-141 transport aircraft.
In Houston, they transferred to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory — a specially designed facility at the Manned Spacecraft Center. The LRL is a more spacious version of the same concept: sealed environment, biological safety protocols, all waste processed. The crew has separate quarters, a small common area, laboratory space where scientists can work with the samples while the crew observes.
They’ve been in there for three weeks now. Nixon visited and spoke with them through a window. Their families have been able to see them through the glass. They’ve had television, books, access to news.
The scientific work during quarantine: biological testing of the astronauts — blood, urine, samples from various surfaces. Preliminary examination of the lunar samples in a glove box. The crew’s medical observations of each other for any signs of illness.
Result so far: nothing. No biological contamination detectable. The astronauts are in good health. The rocks show no biological activity (no one seriously expected they would, but “no one seriously expected” is not the same as “we’re certain enough to skip the check”).
The quarantine ends on August 11. The crew has been released and by the time anyone reads this, they’ll be free. But I want to record what it was: three men who went to the Moon, came back, and spent three weeks in a sealed facility while scientists made sure they hadn’t brought anything back with them.
It’s the responsible choice. And it was apparently not as bad as it sounds — “better than being on the spacecraft” by Armstrong’s account.