The American flags planted on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo program are gradually fading and deteriorating.
The iconic image of astronaut Buzz Aldrin proudly standing next to the American flag on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, told the world that “America was here,” according to Business Insider. However, all six American flags planted on the Moon from 1969 to 1972 are showing signs of damage.
Fifty-five years ago, on July 20, 1969, the first American flag was erected on the Moon during a 2.5-hour moonwalk by NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The flag planting process took about 10 minutes and became one of the most memorable milestones of the Apollo 11 mission.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands next to an American flag on the Moon. (Image: NASA).
NASA engineers faced many technical challenges while designing the flagpole. “They designed the flagpole with a horizontal crossbar so that the flag could ‘fly’ without wind, addressing the impact of the lack of a thick atmosphere. Other factors considered in the design included weight, heat resistance, and ease of assembly, especially with astronauts having limited mobility and ability to grasp objects while wearing spacesuits,” explained Anne Platoff, a historian and flag research expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
During a technical meeting of the crew, Armstrong and Aldrin reported several issues with the flag planting. They encountered difficulties pulling the horizontal crossbar above the flag and could not extend it fully. However, this created a bit of “waving effect” that added vibrancy to the flag. The crews later intentionally left the crossbar partially retracted in a similar manner.
The Apollo 11 crew also noted that they could only plant the flagpole into the Moon’s surface about 15 to 23 centimeters. “Just below the powdery surface is a very solid layer of rock. We could only drive the flagpole down a few inches (1 inch is 2.54 cm). It didn’t look very stable,” Aldrin recounted. Experts are also uncertain whether the flag still stands or was knocked down by the exhaust plume when the Apollo 11 spacecraft lifted off for its return to Earth.
In 2012, images captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) from NASA revealed that at least five of the six flags still stood. However, scientists believe that the intense sunlight over the decades has faded the colors on the flags and gradually turned them white.
In December 1972, astronaut Eugene Cernan of Apollo 17 planted the American flag on the Moon. (Image: NASA).
Each American flag planted on the Moon was made of synthetic fibers, produced by Annin Flagmakers at a cost of about $5.50. On Earth, similar flags would gradually fade under sunlight. The reason is that ultraviolet (UV) rays are not fully absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, which can break down the fabric fibers and colors of the flag.
The Moon lacks an atmosphere to absorb sunlight. This means that the flags planted by astronauts on the Moon would be exposed to more solar radiation than those on Earth.
“For 40 years, the flags have endured the harsh Moon environment, continuously facing 14 days of scorching heat at 100°C and 14 days of freezing cold at -150°C. Some flags are showing signs of deterioration,” wrote Paul Spudis, a lunar research scientist, in the July 2011 issue of Smithsonian Air & Space.
The flags on the Moon may have become brittle and degraded over time. Another threat to them comes from meteoroids impacting the Moon, which lacks a thick atmosphere for protection like Earth.
