A space expert has revealed exactly how many of the six American flags NASA believes remain on the moon’s surface.
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first and second men to walk on the Moon. Month.
To commemorate the success of the Apollo 11 mission, the two men erected a seven-inch-deep pole on the moon’s surface and raised a nylon flag in salute. we flag.
It is said that NASA After listening to former President Richard Nixon’s inaugural address in January 1969, he came up with the idea of having astronauts plant the flag upon their first landing.
Since then, five more American flags have been planted on the lunar surface, one for each of America’s Apollo landings.
But what happened to these six signs over the years, and are any of them still standing?
Not all of them have stood the test of time, according to astrophotographer Robert Reeves.
LRO captured an image showing the shadows of three flags placed on the moon. (NASA)
photograph Youtube Sharing his expertise, the astronomy expert began by explaining why it is so difficult to pinpoint the fate of these pennants.
“The moon is about a quarter of a million miles away. The smallest objects on the moon that can be seen by telescopes on Earth, the largest research telescopes, are just under a mile in diameter.
“The flags left by the Apollo astronauts on the Moon are only about four feet wide, so unfortunately, 1,000 times smaller than what we can see from Earth.
“Even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope cannot see the flag.”
I can’t see the flag Earththere teeth How NASA can track whether they’re still standing To tell Reeves.
Meet NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a robotic spacecraft that has been orbiting the Moon since 2009.
of space The agency said LRO had captured images in recent years that showed the shadow of flags flown during the Apollo 12, 16 and 17 missions.
Three of the six are likely to remain the same, but what about the rest?
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The original flag, erected in 1969, no longer stands. (Bettman/Contributor/Getty)
Unfortunately, LRO was unable to locate the fabricators on-site for Apollo 14 and 15.
“scientist “We believe these flags have not simply been bleached, but that the sun’s ultraviolet rays have completely broken down the nylon,” Reeves explained in a YouTube video.
Thus, the status of the 1971 Apollo 14 and 15 flags remains unknown.
Experts later revealed the fate of the original banner erected by Armstrong and Aldrin.
The moonwalkers placed the Apollo 11 flag 27 feet from the centerline of the lunar module, Eagle.
As a result, the flagpole could not withstand the rocket’s exhaust during launch, Celestron wrote.
The good news is that experts believe the nylon flag may have been preserved buried under lunar dust, meaning it may one day be recovered.
However, since NASA’s last manned lunar mission was in December 1972, it may be a while before this hypothesis proves correct.
