The American Flag on The Moon. Apollo 11.



Apollo 11 landing on the moon one thing moon hoaxers loved to point to you as evidence that we didn't actually go to the moon is the flags they all appear to be waving in the non-existent wind on the lunar surface.

Well the landings weren't faked and the flags aren't blowing in a mystery wind
they were just expertly engineered by NASA scientists.


Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images of each Apollo site taken at roughly the same orientation but with different sun angles to show the travel of shadows. Combined with knowledge of the Apollo site maps which show where the flag was erected relative to the Lander, long shadows cast by the flags at three sites - Apollo 12, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17 - show that the these flags are still “flying”, held aloft by the poles. There is no indication of a flag shadow in this Apollo 11 image.(Image: © NASA)


The question of how to put an American flag at Apollo 11's landing site was
raised about three months before the mission launched and the problem of
having no wind and atmosphere to support the flag was quickly solved by adding a crossbar to the top of the flag. It was sewn into the fabric.

The flag would hang rather than blow in the breeze but building a rig that astronauts could deploy while wearing bulky pressure suits on the lunar surface was a bigger challenge.


NASA file photo taken on July 20, 1969, shows astronaut Buzz Aldrin saluting the U.S. flag on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission. PHOTO: HANDOUT/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES


One that took a team of engineers to solve the final flag design assembly it was a lightweight and compact design that weighed nine pounds
and seven ounces and could be folded for easy storage.

It used a two-part telescoping pole apparatus with a telescoping crossbar an
easy design to deploy on the moon with gloves on once. Both poles were extended a catch prevented the horizontal bar from falling.


The upper portion of the vertical pole was slipped into the lower
part that the astronaut would have already hammered 18 inches into the
ground.

The flag assembly was stored outside the spacecraft on the left-hand
side of the lunar modules ladder. A decision that came with its own
challenges.

This placement exposed the flag to the heat generated by the lunar models
descent engines enjoying the terminal touchdown phase. The latter was expected to heat up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Apollo 11 Image of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin raising the U.S. flag on the Moon. NASA.


The anticipated heating demanded a specialized protective shroud be added
to the flag assembly. The final casing was a stainless steel outer case
separated from an aluminum casing by a layer of thermo-flex insulation.
Multiple layers of a thermal blanket in between the shroud ruffle aim it further
insulation it wouldn't get any hotter than 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Six American flags are placed on the moon's surface during the Apollo lunar
landing program. But only five are still standing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin put there's a little too close to the lunar module when they fired the asset
engine and left the lunar surface.The exhaust knocked the flag right over.


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