Splashdown and Quarantine

The words

1. Airstream

   A highly modified Airstream trailer became the Mobile Quarantine Facility. The crew stayed inside as it traveled from Hornet through Hawaii to Houston, where they transferred into the Lunar Receiving Laboratory.

   Did you know?

   The trailer contained a lounge, kitchen, sleeping quarters and bathroom. Its kitchen included a microwave oven, then a novel appliance for preparing meals.

   NASA: the Airstream quarantine facility (opens a new tab) · NASA: the quarantine trailer’s route home (opens a new tab)

2. Birthday Cake

   Armstrong turned 39 on August 5, 1969, while still in quarantine. Staff at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory surprised him with a decorated birthday cake, which he cut and shared.

   Did you know?

   The astronauts’ wives watched from across a glass partition. Armstrong playfully pretended to pass slices through the glass, keeping the birthday celebration inside the quarantine boundary.

   NASA: Armstrong’s birthday in quarantine (opens a new tab)

3. Carpentier

   Flight surgeon William Carpentier monitored the astronauts’ health during their postflight isolation. He made daily checks at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory before they were cleared to return to their families.

   NASA: the crew’s release from quarantine (opens a new tab)

4. Charles Berry

   Charles Berry directed medical research and operations at the Manned Spacecraft Center. From outside the quarantined area, he monitored the overall medical status of the crew and the isolation program.

   NASA: Armstrong’s birthday in quarantine (opens a new tab)

5. Hatleberg

   Navy swimmer Clancy Hatleberg served as decontamination officer at splashdown. He helped the astronauts leave Columbia in biological isolation garments before their helicopter ride to Hornet.

   NASA: the recovery aboard Hornet (opens a new tab)

6. Heat Shield

   Columbia’s heat shield protected the crew as the capsule returned through Earth’s atmosphere. Its ablative outer material wore away in the heat, carrying energy away from the spacecraft.

   NASA: Apollo’s ablative heat shield (opens a new tab)

7. Hirasaki

   NASA engineer John Hirasaki joined the astronauts and Carpentier in the mobile facility. He helped retrieve the returned samples and film from Columbia while remaining inside the quarantine barrier.

   NASA: the recovery aboard Hornet (opens a new tab)

8. Hornet

   USS Hornet was Apollo 11’s primary recovery ship. Its helicopters brought the astronauts aboard, and the carrier also lifted Columbia from the Pacific after the July 24 splashdown.

   NASA: the recovery aboard Hornet (opens a new tab) · NASA: Columbia recovered from the Pacific (opens a new tab)

9. Moon Germs

   NASA quarantined the crew and samples because scientists had not ruled out dangerous lunar microorganisms. The concern was hypothetical; the astronauts showed no signs of illness from such organisms during observation.

   NASA: the crew’s release from quarantine (opens a new tab)

10. Nixon

    President Richard Nixon welcomed the astronauts aboard Hornet while they remained inside the mobile quarantine facility. He invited them and their wives to a state dinner after their release.

    NASA: the recovery aboard Hornet (opens a new tab)

11. Quarantine

    Apollo 11’s crew remained isolated until August 10, 1969, while doctors monitored their health and scientists examined the returned material. The precaution applied to the samples and spacecraft as well.

    NASA: the crew’s release from quarantine (opens a new tab)

12. Receiving Lab

    The Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston’s Manned Spacecraft Center housed the crew’s quarantine quarters and the returned lunar material. Scientists examined the samples while doctors continued observing the astronauts.

    Did you know?

    Mission debriefs took place from a glass-enclosed conference room. The crew could report on the flight to NASA managers while remaining separated from people outside the quarantine area.

    NASA: the crew’s release from quarantine (opens a new tab)

13. Seiberlich

    Captain Carl Seiberlich commanded Hornet during Apollo 11’s recovery. He chose the slogan Hornet Plus 3 to express the ship’s goal of bringing the three astronauts safely aboard.

    NASA: the recovery aboard Hornet (opens a new tab)

14. Splashdown

    Columbia landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. The Apollo 11 capsule was later hoisted aboard Hornet, the recovery ship waiting near the landing area.

    NASA: Columbia recovered from the Pacific (opens a new tab)

15. Ticker Tape

    After quarantine ended, New York and Chicago welcomed the astronauts with ticker-tape parades on August 13, 1969. The celebrations also included a presidential state dinner in Los Angeles that day.

    NASA: the crew’s welcome-home parades (opens a new tab)