Does the Apollo 11 flag on the Moon still exist?

On July 10, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the Moon. Soon after 10 hours 56 minutes (EST), astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on an outer space object with the saying "it is a small step of a human being, but is a leap of humanity ". Shortly thereafter, astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the Moon. Both of them spent the next two and a half hours exploring, photographing and collecting specimens on the Moon's surface.

Before returning to Earth, the Apollo spacecraft had left a proof of them on the Moon. In addition to the astronauts' footprints and some leftover items, the astronauts also left an American flag made of nylon 0.91 x 1.5 meters in size at a pole of the Face. Moon. And of course, NASA made many other missions on the Moon to serve the exploration and research work. So the current flag is back? Is it still standing there? Does the flag last more than half a century on the Moon?

Leaves that the American astronaut plugs into the Moon.

According to the astronaut Aldrin, after completing the mission on the Moon, the Apollo 11 spacecraft began to take off to Earth and he saw the flag blown away by the aura of the rocket. space boat. In addition, astronauts also believe that the flag will have less chance of surviving in the harsh environment of the Moon. With the abrasion of the moon dust, direct ultraviolet rays from the Sun will quickly cause the flag to be bleached and disintegrated in space.

In fact, scientists have never expected the flag to last for a long time. The flag was purchased from the Annin flag manufacturing company in New Jersey for $ 5.55 (equivalent to about $ 35 today). Annin is a flag manufacturer founded in 1847 and they are also the oldest flag manufacturing company in the United States. Flags made mainly from nylon are often designed to survive not much and especially in harsh environments on the Moon. In 2008, Dennis Lacarrubba, an Annin employee, said he believed the flag would have nothing left but a pile of ashes.

Three astronauts landed on the Moon.

In the subsequent five missions on the Moon, Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 had less information disclosure and no mention of the flag. Finally, the 17th Appllo mission was launched on December 7, 1972, the last time humans walked to the Moon. Astronaut Eugene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt plan to put an American flag on the Moon. However, Cernan only gave a brief quote that if he added a flag to the Moon, it would survive at least 1 million years. However, there is still no evidence to support the installation of the Apollo 17 mission flag.

Since 1972, no other person has set foot on the Moon, however, there have been many satellites launched by countries around the world. These satellites operate in orbit around the Moon and continuously record images. Along with the development of modern technology, the images are also getting sharper and the surface of the Moon has been observed from the Earth with a much higher resolution.

The location of the flag on the Moon.

In 2012, cameras on satellites explored the Moon's orbit (LROC's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) transcribed high-resolution images of the Moon's surface. These were photos that were taken during the three years since LROC was launched in 2009. Images sent by LROC to Earth in 2012 confirmed that not only did Apollo's flag launch still. exists that even stands at the pole on the Moon.

By observing the image at various points on the Moon every day, surveying the movement of the ball, the scientists confirmed the shape and form of the flag based on its shadow. In other words, the flag still exists on the Moon. In addition to flags, astronaut items such as backpacks, oxygen bags and equipment from Earth are also recorded by LROC. In the future, when image technology evolves, scientists will soon make the most realistic image from the Moon as well as its status instead of relying on the movement of the ball as it is now. .

Some interesting information

1. Buzz Aldrin was the first person to eat on the Moon. In addition, he was also the first person on the Moon.
2. It is estimated that there are about 200 tons of space waste on the Moon left by humans. These waste items range from high-tech detectors to bags left behind by practitioners, inside their urine and waste. There are also 3 reverse laser reflectors left by Apollo 11, 14 and 15. These are devices that help calculate the distance from the Moon to Earth with high precision at any time.
3. In addition to the flag, Apollo 11 astronauts left the Moon leaving behind a memento that remains the first remnant of Apollo's mission. In the first Apollo mission, a test was performed 1 month before officially flying. While on Earth's low orbit, the main module's control chamber suddenly appears a fire and all three people in the crew are killed. NASA then suspended its mission for 20 months and asked to investigate the cause of the incident. Finally, the fire was concluded due to a serious flaw in the design of the modules.