The lunar samples were vacuum-sealed and the astronauts would quarantine for 21 days, based on their knowledge of how long it took for symptoms to arise when humans are presented with an invading host, Odom said. 0 Comment. Here's how they did it, Why the 1969 moon landing still inspires space explorers today, NASA fed some of its precious Apollo 11 lunar samples to cockroaches, She endured obscene phone calls, had to use men's bathrooms, as one of NASA's first female engineers, 'We did the impossible': What it was like inside Apollo 11's Mission Control. The mission was the first time humans had interacted with the surface of another celestial body. Throughout the quarantine period, Carpentier performed regular medical exams to make sure the astronauts had not been adversely impacted by their spaceflight or any potential pathogens, Odom said. That’s because rather than landing back at Cape Canaveral like shuttle missions would later do, the Apollo 11 capsule landed far away from Florida — thousands of miles away, in fact, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The power of U.S. After an initial medical checkup, the astronauts were released. Return to Earth: Rarely Seen Photos Inside Apollo 11 On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left the moon to begin their journey back to Earth with Michael Collins. Quarantining astronauts after lunar landings continued for the Apollo 12 and 14 missions, but didn’t last for the duration of the Apollo program, once scientists were sure there was no danger for the astronauts or anyone they encountered upon their return to Earth. The clean room that was used to open and study the samples was even more pristine than a sterilized surgical room, NASA said. Studying moon rocks for signs of life Just 48 hours after they were returned to Earth, the Apollo 11 lunar samples and film were being processed … The astronauts sat in a room separated by glass and discussed different aspects of the mission with NASA personnel, like Slayton. On July 24, 1969, President Nixon was on hand on the USS Hornet (commanded by Admiral John McCain) to watch the splashdown of the Apollo 11 capsule and return of the Apollo 11 astronauts to earth. But there was no evidence of life, micro or otherwise, in these samples, nor were there any toxins. Having set foot on the Moon, the Apollo 11 astronauts returned safely to Earth just days later. By Hilman Rojak | September 15, 2017. Apollo 11 Comes Home The Apollo 11 crew await pickup by a helicopter from the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic lunar landing mission. Doctors closely monitored the astronauts, while a separate team tested and studied the lunar rocks and dust brought back by the astronauts. Image Credit: NASA. The three explorers fired away from lunar orbit on July 22 and returned to Earth on July 24. See how they splashed down on Earth here. Apollo 11’s Return to Earth Rooted in Aeronautics Research. Dignitaries included the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General William Westmoreland, four cabinet members, 19 state governors, 40 mayors, 60 ambassadors and 200 congressmen. Apollo 11 Returns to Earth Today’s installment concludes First Men on Moon , our selection from Apollo 11 Mission Report by NASA Mission Evaluation Team and by The Astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins published in 1971. Following Lunar Module Eagle's successful rendez-vous with the Michael Collins who had been orbiting the moon in Columbia, the crew made a television broadcast to Earth, thanking those who had worked on the project and reassuring the world waiting below that they had complete faith in their equipment for a successful return. 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