CHANTILLY, Virginia, United States — The Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF), a converted Airstream trailer used by Apollo 11 astronauts for 65 hours upon their return from the moon, is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This unique artifact represents an important part of the Apollo 11 mission protocol and early space exploration history.
Photograph by David Coleman. The Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is a crucial artifact from the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. After returning to Earth on July 24, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were immediately placed in this converted Airstream trailer for a 65-hour quarantine period. This precautionary measure was implemented due to concerns about potential lunar pathogens, despite the scientific consensus that the moon's environment was inhospitable to life. The MQF was equipped with living and sleeping quarters, a kitchen, and communication systems that allowed the astronauts to speak with their families and President Richard Nixon. The facility traveled with the astronauts from the USS Hornet, the recovery ship, to Pearl Harbor, and then to Houston's Lunar Receiving Laboratory. The MQF represents both the scientific caution of early space exploration and the cultural impact of the moon landing. Its presence at the Udvar-Hazy Center, alongside other significant space artifacts, offers visitors a tangible connection to one of humanity's greatest achievements. The center, an annex of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, opened in 2003 near Washington Dulles International Airport, houses numerous historically significant aircraft and space artifacts in its expansive hangar-like structure.
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia, United States
Photo credit: © David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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