The Apollo 11 Astronauts Quarantined, Too

“Look at it this way: suppose there were germs on the moon. There are germs on the moon, we come back, the command module is full of lunar germs. The command module lands in the Pacific Ocean, and what do they do? Open the hatch. You got to open the hatch! All the…germs come out!”
-Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins

When the Apollo 11 astronauts landed back home after their historic trip to the moon and back, they were helped out of their capsule after splashdown, and then, they were placed into a MQF, or Mobile Quarantine Facility. Worried that they may have brought back a virus or other contagion from the moon, NASA quarantined the three Apollo 11 astronauts in the MQF for three weeks.

While most NASA scientists believed that the existence of a moon pathogen to be highly unlikely, the administration viewed the quarantine as a ‘better-safe-than-sorry’ precaution. Astronaut Neil Armstrong even celebrated his birthday in the MQF during the quarantine!

While the Apollo 11 quarantine wasn’t perfect (and we now know that no pathogen could survive on the moon), the ongoing quarantine and social distancing precautions for the Covid-19 global pandemic is a whole different story! The Covid-19 coronavirus has been proven to be pervasive and dangerous. And, thankfully, most of us are quarantining in much larger and more comfortable spaces than the Apollo 11 MQF. Be sure to stay safe, practice social distancing, and wear your mask!

Watch a short video on the Apollo 11 quarantine from the PBS documentary “Chasing the Moon” below:

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center is one of only two Smithsonian facilities currently open to the public (with strict social distancing and masks required, of course). The Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility currently sits on display there. I got to visit with my friend, photographer and space enthusiast Andrew Jones, last week.