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When Astronauts Spent Thanksgiving in Quarantine for Fear of Moon Disease

For astronauts, returning from the Moon wasn’t a simple matter of splashing down, handing NASA the lunar samples and material, and going home.
Nixon greets the crew of Apollo 12. Image via NASA

For astronauts, returning from the Moon wasn't a simple matter of splashing down, handing NASA the lunar samples and material, and going home.

In 1969, the Moon was still unknown enough that scientists worried there might be some scary Moon germs up there that astronauts would bring back with them, possibly infecting and wiping out the human race. So NASA put everything that came back from the Moon—from rocks to hardware to men—in quarantine, and ran tests to make sure they were safe for reintegration into society. There were no exceptions.

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The Apollo 12 crew after splashdown. Image: NASA

For the crew of Apollo 12, who splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on November 24, 1969, this forced quarantine meant they had to spend that Thanksgiving in a trailer.

NASA wanted characterize everything that came back from the Moon to see whether or not sample had any ability to stimulate biological activity. The agency biocharacterized small representative samples of all incoming material looking for agents that could infect or prove to be toxic to plants, men, and other animals. Samples went through a 30-day test period at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Johnson Spaceflight Center, and when everything passed the material was distributed to scientific research centers, dignitaries, and storage units within NASA.

A 30-day holding period is fine when you're a piece of Moon rocks, but for astronauts the quarantine period had a bit of a bigger effect. The procedure for men was a little different. Biocharacterization tests were replaced with thorough medical exams to make sure they hadn't brought anything strange home with them, and the safety measures started as soon as they left the spacecraft. Each astronaut had to don a Biological Isolation Garment, a specially designed suit that prevented the spread of any alien organisms, right after splashdown. They couldn't take them off until they were safely in the Mobile Quarantine Facility.

A converted Airstream trailer, the Mobile Quarantine Facility was sort of a fancy containment cell. It had living and sleeping quarters, a kitchen, and a bathroom – basically all the things a three men could need without coming into contact with anyone. The air pressure inside the trailer was kept lower than the outside pressure, and the air leaving the trailer was filtered as it was vented out. This careful monitoring of air ensured they astronauts were in a true quarantine for the duration of their stay.

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Apollo crews entered the Mobile Quarantine Facility once they boarded the recovery carrier and went through a physical exam. They stayed inside for 21 days, including when the trailer was transferred, by air, to Ellington Air Force Base.

The astronauts' wives outside the MQF. Via NASA

Four Mobile Quarantine Facility trailers were built and delivered to NASA in early 1969. Three housed the crews of the first three lunar missions but the fourth was never used. After the first three lunar missions returned, NASA was satisfied that the Moon was indeed barren of life and the extraordinary astronaut quarantine measures were dropped after Apollo 14.

The Apollo 12 crew in the MQF after splashdown, via NASA

After the Apollo 12 crew splashed down on November 24, they spent four days aboard the USS Hornet in quarantine. Thanksgiving that year was on the 27th, which meant the crew was in their specially converted Airstream trailer on an aircraft carrier for the holiday, and for President Nixon's visit. But quarantine didn't mean they had to eat the prepackaged meals like they'd taken to the Moon. They sat down that Thursday evening to a dinner of turkey with cranberry sauce and a choice of cherry or pecan pie before settling in to watch "Good-by Columbus."

Quite frankly, that doesn't sound too bad. In my small apartment, my Thanksgiving might be pretty similar.

Footage of President Nixon visiting the astronauts in the MQF. Video: NASA