15 July 1969

Joshua Ledergerg
c/o Washington Fost

Dear br. Lederberg:

Your recent column on possible contamination from moon-rock samples,
which appeared in the Post July 12th, contained a reference to
“secondary meteorites" which have "splashed from moon to earth many
times..."

Is this a known fact or just a hypothesis about certain meteorites?

Iam ugable to imagine just how a meteorite's source can be known,
and I am unaware of any observed meteoritic collisions with the moon
which could produce such "splashes." Of course, I am a layman and
not a selenologist, or even an astronomers; all I know is what I pick
up from casual reading about such matters.

It seems to me that your metu off-hand mention of moon material we
already have from "secondary meteorites" tends to negate your lead
sentence, that getting samples of the moon's surface is Apollo 11's
"most important scientific task."

The whole business of quarantining the astronauts and the command
capsule because of possible contamination from the moon strikes me
as hogwash. Keep the 50 pounds of rocks in a sterile container, yes,
to minimize their contamination from earth organiams carried on
the astronauts or the Lem and its fuel. But why put the whole
command capsule in a cellophane bag after it has already "contamin-
ated" the atmosphere, the Pacific Ocean, the helicopters, aircraft
carrier} and the astronauts and their personal gear would further
contaminate the air enroute to Houston, 10,666 miles away, and
the cars that take them to the mixgex quarantine center from the
airport!

imaginary
To waste any time, money or energy on such/risks is ironie atkex in
the light of the gigantic risks of the Apollo mission.

Sincerely yours,

Urn Vrellin Frvenbaclf

Van Vechten Trumbull

3823 Legation St. NW

0) Washington, D.C. 20015
&

a ** Consider the energy that blasted eut Tyche: the moon is covered
S with. the scars of events that can be calculated te have scoured out
S

secondaries.

J.L.

7T7Gd WAM