Apollo experience report: Processing of lunar samples in a sterile nitrogen atmosphere

A sterile nitrogen atmosphere processing cabinet line was installed in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory to process returned lunar samples with minimum organic contamination. Design and operation of the cabinet line were complicated by the requirement for biological sterilization and isolation, which necessitated extensive filtration, leak-checking, and system sterilization before use. Industrial techniques were applied to lunar sample processing to meet requirements for time-critical experiments while handling a large flow of samples.