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Author
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Topic: Apollo: Five US flags still standing on moon
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-29-2012 06:56 AM
   
collectSPACE Beyond a shadow of a doubt: US flags still standing at Apollo moon landing sitesForty-one years ago Monday (July 30), Apollo 15 landed on the moon and the fourth of ultimately six American flags was planted on the lunar surface. Those flags have been exposed to intense ultraviolet (UV) light and temperatures over the past four decades, leading many to question if the nylon stars and stripes still existed or if the star-spangled banners had degraded in the direct sunlight. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has now confirmed the famous flags' fate beyond a 'shadow' of a doubt... |
p51
Member Posts: 1658
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 05-16-2013 05:46 PM
So odd that the flags are still there, for years I'd heard that radiation would have screwed up the flags so badly that all of them would be gone. And that was many years ago I started hearing that.I guess they didn't take into account the fine tradition of flag making in the good ol' US of A! |
Shikedants
New Member Posts: 8
From: Old Tappan, NJ, USA
Registered: Feb 2013
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posted 05-17-2013 11:03 AM
Reading the account of how difficult it was for Neil and Buzz to hammer down the flagpole, I found myself wondering if they didn't overengineer this whole thing. Why didn't they just use something similar to a microphone stand. Given how light the flag and pole would have been on the moon, you could have made a pole and stand with very light materials, probably even a coat hanger. It most likely wouldn't have tipped over as there's no wind. Just put it far enough from the LM and It would stay up forever. Do you think it was important for us to know that the flag was pounded into the moon? |
Space Cadet Carl
Member Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 01-14-2020 08:06 PM
Perhaps the most amazing thing was when the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter proved that the actual deployed flags are still intact on the lunar surface today. The Annin Flag Company thought for certain that the flags would have turned to dust by now and they were amazed to discover that they're still "flying" on the Moon.Editor's note: Threads merged. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-14-2020 09:07 PM
What about the flags that were on all the LM descent stages? What condition would they be in today? Here is the Apollo 17 flag in Quad 4 above the MESA. |
Space Cadet Carl
Member Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 01-15-2020 06:22 AM
Not certain, but I believe the U.S. flags on the side of the decent stages were actually decals or mylar prints of some sort, completely different from the cloth flags from Annin Flag that were deployed on the surface by the astronauts. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-15-2020 10:35 AM
I wish it didn't look like the U.S flag and "United States" decals or prints have been stuck on with strips of sellotape/Scotch tape. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 986
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 01-15-2020 05:42 PM
Always assumed that any lettering, arrows, emblems and flags had been painted onto the surface of the landing vehicle. Why would they have used decals or stickers?The way things appear in that Apollo 17 photo it does look like a temporary placement technique using cellophane tape. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-15-2020 09:12 PM
On the Apollo 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 LM descent stages, the flag was on Quad 4 and "United States" was on Quad 1.I have not seen a photo showing Quad 4 of the Apollo 13 LM descent stage, but "United States" was on Quad 1. |
oly
Member Posts: 971
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 01-15-2020 11:53 PM
What point in the manufacturing timeline was it decided to add the flag and words to the Lunar Module? Adding these markings intrinsically to the materials of the lunar module may have compromised the insulation / thermal protection properties of these materials resulting in the need to affix the markings over the top of the material, or, the decision to add the markings may have occurred after the materials had been selected and manufactured, or, it may just have been the easiest method of adding the markings. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-16-2020 04:31 AM
In Apollo 16 photo AS16-107-17436 the MESA is open, and the flag and "United States" marking can be seen.The flag and "United States" marking was also visible when the MESA was closed, as seen in Apollo 16 photo AS16-118-18894. So there were two of them?
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Space Cadet Carl
Member Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 01-16-2020 08:30 AM
Another surprising assertion is that NASA engineers were randomly sent out to various department stores in the Houston area to purchase the U.S. flags over the counter. That's the NASA story, but there's no actual sales receipts from the department stores to totally prove it. I read NASA wanted to keep the purchases quiet so that no store or company would take credit for selling the flags. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 43576
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-16-2020 09:23 AM
Not engineers, but rather secretaries. From NASA Contractor Report 188251: Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Randy Beard, Sr., of Annin contacted the Public Affairs Office at NASA Headquarters regarding the flag shortly after the moon landing. His company had supplied many flags to NASA throughout the manned space flight program. Beard was told that three secretaries had been sent out to buy 3x5-foot nylon flags during their lunch hours. After they had returned it was discovered that all of them had purchased their flags at Sears. Annin was the official flag supplier for Sears at the time so this story seemed to confirm that the flag had been made by Annin. Beard was informed that NASA would not confirm the manufacturer of the flag because they didn't "want another Tang" — in other words, the agency did not want another advertising campaign based upon the fact that a commercial product had been used by the astronauts. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 01-16-2020 11:21 AM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
So there were two of them?
Could be so. If you compare the open MESA Apollo 17 photo linked earlier to pre-landing photo AS17-151-23203, you will see that there appears to be a much larger gap between the flag and "United States" in AS17-151-23203.
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