The Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law (14 CFR 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations) — in force from 1969 to 1977 — was the popular name for regulations adopted by the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

(NASA) in 1969 to formalize its "policy, responsibility and authority to guard the Earth against any harmful contamination … resulting from personnel, spacecraft and other property returning to the Earth after landing on or coming within the atmospheric envelope of a celestial body". Implemented before the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...

mission, it provided the legal authority for a quarantine period for the returning astronauts. The regulation defined "extraterrestrially exposed" as

...the state or condition of any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter whatever, who or which has (1) Touched directly or come within the atmospheric envelope of any other celestial body; or (2) Touched directly or been in close proximity (or been exposed indirectly to) any person, property, animal or other form of life or matter who or which has been extraterrestrially exposed by virtue of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph.

Quarantining of astronauts on the first lunar missions was mandated in 1969 to prepare for "the remote possibility that they are harboring unknown lunar organisms that might endanger life on earth", and the Apollo 11 voyagers were kept in quarantine for 21 days after their liftoff from the Moon. NASA filed notices establishing quarantine periods in the Federal Register for Apollo 11,

Apollo 12 Apollo 12 (November 14–24, 1969) was the sixth crewed flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, by NASA from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commander Charles ...

Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo program, Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the landing was abort ...

and

Apollo 14 Apollo 14 (January 31February 9, 1971) was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to Moon landing, land on the Moon, and the first to land in the Geology of the Moon#Highlands, lunar highlands. It was the las ...

. After the completion of the Apollo 14 mission, NASA stopped enforcing the regulation, though it remained on the books. On April 30, 1971, NASA's acting administrator, Dr. George M. Low, said,

On the basis of this analysis f quarantine information from Apollo 14 as well as the results from the Apollo 11 and 12 flights, we have concluded there is no hazard to man, animals or plants in the lunar material...the interagency committee has recommended that further lunar missions need not be subject to quarantine.

NASA revoked the rule in 1977 and it was formally removed from the Code of Federal Regulations in 1991.
- F.R. Doc. 91-9904;

References

External links

* Extra-Terrestrial Exposure, {{Federal Register, 34, 11975 (July 16, 1969), ''codified at'' 14 C.F.R. pt
1200
NASA oversight Infectious diseases 1969 in American law Space law in the United States Repealed United States legislation Extraterrestrial life Code of Federal Regulations Apollo program

See also

References

External links