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Evolution of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory to the Astromaterial Sample Curation Facility: Technical Tensions Between Containment and Cleanliness, Between Particulate and Organic CleanlinessThe Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) was planned and constructed in the 1960s to support the Apollo program in the context of landing on the Moon and safely returning humans. The enduring science return from that effort is a result of careful curation of planetary materials. Technical decisions for the first facility included sample handling environment (vacuum vs inert gas), and instruments for making basic sample assessment, but the most difficult decision, and most visible, was stringent biosafety vs ultra-clean sample handling. Biosafety required handling of samples in negative pressure gloveboxes and rooms for containment and use of sterilizing protocols and animal/plant models for hazard assessment. Ultra-clean sample handling worked best in positive pressure nitrogen environment gloveboxes in positive pressure rooms, using cleanable tools of tightly controlled composition. The requirements for these two objectives were so different, that the solution was to design and build a new facility for specific purpose of preserving the scientific integrity of the samples. The resulting Lunar Curatorial Facility was designed and constructed, from 1972-1979, with advice and oversight by a very active committee comprised of lunar sample scientists. The high precision analyses required for planetary science are enabled by stringent contamination control of trace elements in the materials and protocols of construction (e.g., trace element screening for paint and flooring materials) and the equipment used in sample handling and storage. As other astromaterials, especially small particles and atoms, were added to the collections curated, the technical tension between particulate cleanliness and organic cleanliness was addressed in more detail. Techniques for minimizing particulate contamination in sample handling environments use high efficiency air filtering techniques typically requiring organic sealants which offgas. Protocols for reducing adventitious carbon on sample handling surfaces often generate particles. Further work is needed to achieve both minimal particulate and adventitious carbon contamination. This paper will discuss these facility topics and others in the historical context of nearly 50 years' curation experience for lunar rocks and regolith, meteorites, cosmic dust, comet particles, solar wind atoms, and asteroid particles at Johnson Space Center.
Document ID
20160005079
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Allton, J. H.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Zeigler, R. A.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Calaway, M. J.
(Jacobs Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
April 14, 2016
Publication Date
April 13, 2016
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-36008
Meeting Information
Meeting: Horizon 2020 EURO-CARES (European Curation of Astromaterials Returned from Exploration of Space) WP3 Meeting
Location: Vienna
Country: Austria
Start Date: April 13, 2016
End Date: April 16, 2016
Sponsors: Commission of the European Communities
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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