Welcome to the Curator's tour of the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility. Between 1969 and 1972, six Apollo space flight missions brought back 382 kilograms (842 pounds) of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust from the lunar surface. The six space flights returned 2200 separate samples from six different exploration sites on the lunar surface. In addition, three automated Soviet spacecraft, named Luna 16, Luna 20, and Luna 24 returned important samples totaling 300 grams (approximately 3/4 pound) from three other lunar sites.

The Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility, which was built in 1979, is the chief repository for the Apollo samples. It was constructed to provide permanent storage of the lunar sample collection in a physically secure and non-contaminating environment. The facility consists of storage vaults for the samples, laboratories for sample preparation and study, a vault for sample data and records, and machinery to supply nitrogen to the cabinets in which the samples are stored and processed.

Select a particular area of interest from the rooms listed below or just click the right arrow button at the bottom of the page for a guided tour.