During Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s two-and-a-half-hour moonwalking adventure in July 1969, it took Apollo 11 ten minutes to plant the flag on the ancient moon.
However, this milestone in the scientific history of the moon was not without much debate, debate, and early concerns raised on the policy flagpole: “Who owns the moon?” (Vexilology is the study of the history, symbolism, and usage of national flags.)
Matthew Ward is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Dundee, Scotland. He said the Star-Spangled Banner is uniquely powerful and has been used in nearly every significant event in American history, from the Apollo moon landing to firefighters raising the flag over the ruins of the World Trade Center on 9/11 in 2001. He states that it appears to exist within the image. “It’s hard to think of another national flag that’s so focused on meaning. The Star-Spangled Banner expresses the spirit, history and identity of our entire nation,” Ward said.
symbolic activity
In the early 1990s, Ann Platoff, then working with Hernandez Engineering in Houston, Texas, compiled a NASA contractor report titled “.Where no flag has flown before: The political and technical aspects of planting a flag on the moon. ”
Platov explains that the raising of the national flag on the moon during Apollo 11 was purely a symbolic activity. Given that the United States is a signatory to the United Nations Treaty on Outer Space, the United States has renounced any territorial claims to the Moon.
“Nonetheless, there was debate at home and abroad about the appropriateness of this event,” Platov explains. Congress amended NASA’s appropriations bill to prohibit the space agency from flying the flag of another country or international organization on the moon during missions solely funded by the United States.
Platov said in his report that the moon’s legal status is clearly unaffected by the presence of a U.S. flag on the lunar surface, “but NASA recognizes the potential for international controversy as a result.” “I was doing it,” he points out.
flagpole design
In Platov’s report, she notes that NASA engineers were challenged by the prospect of Apollo astronauts planting the flag on the moon.
“To overcome the effects of the Moon’s lack of atmosphere, they designed a flagpole with a horizontal bar that allowed the flag to ‘fly’ without the benefit of the wind. Other factors considered in the design were weight, heat resistance, and ease of assembly. “Cosmonauts in spacesuits had limited range of movement and limited ability to grasp objects,” Platov said.
Apollo 11 moon walker Buzz Aldrin later wrote in an article for Life magazine that as he gazed at the flag, he said, “At that moment, all the people of the world were almost mystically united.” ” he said.
Aldrin also talked about what it was like when he and Armstrong were able to raise the pennant, a flag they bought for $5.50 in their hometown of Houston.
“Just below the powdery surface, the subsoil was very dense,” Aldrin recalled. “We were able to push the flagpole in just a few inches. It didn’t look very sturdy.”
Sun rot
During his research, Platov discovered that the six flags placed on the moon by the Apollo moon walkers were of different sizes.
Additionally, the Apollo 17 flag, installed in December 1972, the program’s final lunar mission, was uniquely noteworthy. The flag was flown in the mission control room during other Apollo missions, and was later placed on the moon by Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmidt, the last moonwalking crew members.
What is unknown is what condition those flags are in today. Even if the flag was up when the crew rocketed from the moon, it is almost certain that it will not be in the same condition as when they were first deployed to the lunar surface. “Probably, the nylon of the flag deteriorated as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight,” Platov said, noting the devastating result, which he tagged as “sun rot.”
The lunar flag likely became brittle and may have disintegrated over time. The possibility of a meteorite impact could also pose a threat to the flag, Platov concluded.
Platov is currently a librarian, historian, and veterinarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“What I often see in articles is that flags turn white when exposed to sunlight. This actually happens with some flags on Earth, but I don’t know about the chemical process involved. And we don’t know if that would happen in the lunar environment,”’ Platov told Space.com.
What you’re looking for: critical thinking
Platov wrote in a 2011 research paper:Six Flags over Luna: The role of flags in the moon landing conspiracy theory”, “Whether the flag remains standing or has been exposed to the harsh lunar surface environment for decades, its legacy as a symbol of human space exploration remains intact.”
The importance of these photos “will remain long after the deaths of those who took part in this historic project,” Platov said.
As for those who support conspiratorial hoaxes about the Apollo moon landings, Platov takes a firm stance on the issue.
“It is not difficult to refute the moon landing hoax conspiracy,” Platov explained to Space.com. “There is plenty of evidence to prove that the Apollo landings were real and that humans walked on the moon.”
The real problem, Platov added, is a lack of critical thinking.
“Do you really think it was possible to maintain the level of cooperation of everyone involved in the Apollo program to sustain the hoax for 55 years? Or do you think it was really possible to maintain the level of cooperation of everyone involved in the Apollo program to sustain the hoax for 55 years? Or that people could have worked together and harnessed the science and power? Do you think this is more plausible? Do we have the technology to achieve the goal of landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely?
Those who deny the Apollo moon landings are “free to believe whatever they want, but that doesn’t mean they’re right,” Platov concludes.
