The year was 1969 and Apollo 11 was about to blast off on it’s mission to the moon. Excitement was at an all time high, as this was to be the first time a human would put foot on a planetary surface other than earth.
There was also a little fear associated with the mission. NASA was not entirely sure there was no life on the moon. The concept of an alien microbe returning with the astronauts and subsequently decimating the human population, as described in the Michael Crichton book “the Andromeda Strain”, was of real concern for the NASA scientists. NASA even created the Office of Planetary Protection to deal with this issue.
To ensure this eventuality did not come to pass, scientists instituted a rigorous program to minimise the possibility of “back contamination”. The program involved the astronauts wearing special bug proof suits on landing, having themselves and their lunar module washed down with decontamination chemical and, finally, had them sitting in an isolated lab for two weeks while doctors monitored their health and checked them for any signs of alien infestation.
Of course, these days we know the moon is incapable of supporting any form of life, and the NASA back contamination program has been significantly revised. But in 1969, nobody was taking any chances.
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