Fifty-five years ago today, in July 1969, it took just 10 minutes for Apollo 11 to plant the flag on the ancient lunar surface during Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s two-and-a-half-hour moonwalking adventure.
However, this important event in the history of vignettes (the study of the history, symbolism and use of flags) was not without much debate, discussion and policy concerns: “Who owns the moon?”
Matthew Ward, a senior lecturer in history at the University of Dundee in Scotland, points out that the American flag has a unique power, and seems to be present in the imagery of nearly every significant event in American history. Apollo Moon Landing It all began when firefighters raised the American flag over the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. “I can’t think of a flag that’s more loaded with meaning,” Ward said. “It represents the spirit, history and identity of an entire nation.”
Symbolic Activities
In the early 1990s, Ann Pulatoff worked for Hernandez Engineering in Houston, Texas. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The contractor report is titled:Where no flag has ever been raised before: The political and technological aspects of planting a flag on the moon “
Platov explains that Apollo 11’s planting of the flag on the moon was purely symbolic, as the United States was a signatory to the UN Outer Space Treaty, which meant that signing the treaty would no longer allow it to lay claim to the moon. Moon .
“Nevertheless, there was debate both at home and abroad about the appropriateness of the event,” Platov explains. Congress amended NASA’s appropriations bill to prohibit the agency from flying flags of other countries or international organizations on the lunar surface during missions funded solely by the United States.
Platov wrote in his report that while it was clear that planting the US flag on the moon’s surface would not affect the moon’s legal status, “NASA recognized the potential for international controversy as a result.”
Moonwalker Pete Conrad holds up the American flag during the Apollo 12 mission in November 1969. (Image courtesy of NASA)
Flagpole Design
The Apollo flag raising also presented NASA engineers with some technical challenges, Platov’s report noted.
“To overcome the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon, they designed a flagpole with a horizontal rod that would allow the flag to ‘flutter’ without the benefit of wind. Other factors taken into account in the design were weight, heat resistance and ease of assembly by astronauts, whose range of movement and ability to grasp objects are limited by their spacesuits,” Platov explains.
Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin later life The magazine reported that when Moonwalker saw the flag, he felt “at that moment, all the people of the world were united in an almost mystical way.”
Aldrin also described how he and Armstrong were able to raise a flag that he purchased for $5.50 in their hometown of Houston.
“The soil just below the powdery snow surface was very dense,” Aldrin recalled. “I only managed to push the flagpole in a few inches, but it didn’t look very sturdy.”
Astronaut David Scott salutes the Stars and Stripes during the 1971 Apollo mission. (Image courtesy of NASA)
Sunburn
In his research, Platov discovered that the six flags planted on the lunar surface by the Apollo moon walkers were not all the same size.
Additionally, the Apollo 17 flag, raised during the program’s final lunar mission in December 1972, was particularly noteworthy. The flag had flown in Mission Control during the other Apollo missions and was later raised on the Moon’s surface by the final lunar walkers, Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmitt.
What’s not known is what the state of these flags is now. Even if the flags were up when the spacecraft crew rocketed away from the Moon, they almost certainly aren’t in the same condition as when they were first placed on the lunar surface. “Probably, the nylon in the flags has deteriorated as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight,” Platov feels, a destructive effect known as “sun damage.”
The lunar flag may have become brittle and disintegrated over time. Another threat to the lunar flag is bombardment from meteorites orbiting the moon, Platov concludes.
Platov now works as a librarian, historian and flag scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“You often see articles about flags turning white in the sun, and while that certainly happens with flags on Earth, we don’t know what the chemistry is or whether the same thing would happen in the lunar environment,” Platov told Space.com.
Shown saluting in 1972 is Apollo 16’s Charles Duke Jr. (Image courtesy of NASA)
Wanted: Critical thinking skills
In a 2011 research paper, Platov wrote:Six Flags on the Moon: Their Role in Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories “Whether the flag remains upright or has endured decades of exposure to the harsh lunar environment, its legacy as a symbol of human space exploration remains intact.”
Platov said the importance of the photographs “will remain with us long after the death of those who took part in this historic undertaking.”
As for those who support the conspiratorial hoax of the Apollo moon landings, Platov remains adamant.
“The moon landing hoax conspiracy theory is not difficult to refute,” Platov explained to Space.com. “There is plenty of evidence that proves the Apollo landings were real and that humans walked on the moon.”
The real issue, Platov added, is that people need to be taught to be critical thinkers.
Gene Cernan of Apollo 17 raises the American flag during the final Apollo moonwalk in December 1972. (Image courtesy of NASA)
“Do you think it would have been possible to maintain the level of cooperation among all the people involved in the Apollo program and continue the false program for 55 years? Or is it more likely that people could have worked together, harnessed the power of science and technology to achieve the goal of landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely?”
Apollo moon landing deniers “are free to believe what they want, but that doesn’t make them right,” Platov concludes.
