JSC Building 37

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Building 37 originally served to quarantine returning Apollo crew, spacecraft, equipment, and lunar samples while providing isolated laboratories to evaluate lunar samples for hazardous microorganisms, conduct time-critical physical science investigations, and prepare lunar samples for distribution to external investigators for detailed scientific analyses. At the time of its construction, this laboratory was considered the only one of its kind in the country.

Building 37, originally called the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, was renamed Life Sciences Laboratory in 1974. This facility was purpose-built in 1967 to quarantine crews, equipment, and samples returning from the moon, allowing for safe study and scientific analysis following reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Originally designed to house a geology laboratory, biological laboratory, and astronaut quarantine facility, it became a critical mission support building used as a multipurpose laboratory for ground-based and in-flight medical operations support and biomedical research activities related to health, safety, and performance of flight crews during all phases of manned spaceflight.