The secondary sample storage container, used in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory allowed for easy division of samples within vacuum cabinets and had high, large threads to hold a vacuum seal in case of emergency.
This is an exact replica 1" scale cube to those that are used to show size and orientation of lunar samples at the Lunar Receiving Lab. These scale cubes are made of machined, anodized aluminum, with engraved markings filled with baked enamel.
This lunar material container was used during the Apollo Era to transport and store moon rocks from the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. It is amazingly engineered, stainless steel vessel with bolts to secure the lunar sample to prevent contamination.
The accompanying tag, which was sealed in the bag that this container came in, indicates that it was cleaned in 1971 indicating that at one time it contained rocks from Apollo 11 and / or Apollo 12.
The Bolt-Top Container (BTC) was the primary storage and transport device used for lunar material. The BTC held a vacuum of pure nitrogen gas, which is inert and does not react with the lunar material inside.
This BTC was received by me in it's original double sealed vacuum bag. This is the first time this BTC has seen the day of light in over 35 years. The last person to handle this artifact was a lunar scientist in the LRL. These artifacts were sterilized after use and vacuum sealed for future use. Rigorous procedures were used to sterilize BTCs before being transfered into various cabinets in the LRL. The surface of the BTC was sprayed with peracetic acid in the R-102 (LRL atmospheric decontamination) cabinet . After 30 minutes of soak-time, the acid was removed by sterile water spray, then dried. This process provided biocidal sterilization without heat, as heat would alter the lunar material.
Thanks to Mike Bandli for the technical description of this artifact
