U.S.A. flag on the moon?

Question

Is the flag still on the moon and wouldn't it be pretty tore up by now?

Answer 1

Is the flag still standing?
The answer to this question is not known. It is uncertain if the flag remained standing or was blown over the by engine blast when the ascent module took off to return the crew back to Earth. The lunar surface was barely holding the flag upright enough to begin with, it is unlikely that the flag is still upright.

Answer 2

There isn't one American Flag, there were six.

Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 each left a flag on the Moon.

The first was blown down on lift off. The Lunar Regolith was a lot harder than we had thought it would be and it was very difficult getting the flag to stand up at all. When the rocket engine of the ascent stage ignited the thrust knocked the flag over. Since the whole point of the mission was to plant the blasted thing there in the first place, this fact was not widely advertised at the time.

The later flags were placed more firmly, and further from the LEM so that would not happen again. On the first moon walk they didn't want the astronauts getting to far from the LEM, lest something go wrong.


The flags measured 3'x5'. A 6-foot pole that was sunken 6" into the dirt supported it, and the flag was held open by a metal rod. It had wires inside it, so that it would look like it was rippled by the wind...NASA didn't think a limp flag looked very good or sent a good message.

The folks who say that the flags are fine because there is no decay on the Moon are wrong. They are probably gone by now.

There is no wind, rain, or bugs on the Moon. The flags won't get torn up by a windstorm. go moldy, or be eaten by insects, but that is not the same thing as "no decay".

Since the Moon has no atmosphere, the flags have been exposed to the full strength of the sun for over 30 years now. If you have seen how the sun bleaches out a flag here on Earth, you have a pretty good idea of how faded these things must be by now.

Without a doubt the flag is quite faded by now, and at the very least is stark white. However, it was made from nylon, which is quite susceptible to ultraviolet damage from the sun, whose light is unfiltered on the moon. That means it has probably suffered from an extreme case of sun rot. It may have completely decayed by now, and might exist as a delicate pile of "ash" on the surface.

Answer 3

The American flag must still be on the moon due to the lack of atmosphere. Deterioration has most likely been minimal, with potential damage occuring from space debris. Unless astronauts from another planet thought it interesting and took it with them when they visited our moon, it should still be there, marking the moon as a colony of the United States of America.

Answer 4

There's very little on the moon to cause erosion or wear. No atmosphere, hence no wind or rain. I expect most of the footprints left on the moon by the astronauts are still there. And the flag is still there unless it suffered a direct hit from a meteor.

Answer 5

Considering that's there's not really much atmosphere on the moon, it's probably fine. Of course, since no one has been to that exact spot since the Eagle landed, we don't really know what's up with the flag.

Answer 6

It appears in several of the videos that as the lander is taking off it is blowing the flag down. Hopefully, they placed one far enough away and secured it well enough that it remained standing.

Answer 7

It would be interesting to discover that wherever you look, there's no flag, meaning man never landed on the moon! But if we did, it must be pretty intact!

Answer 8

If no debris has hit it which i doubt it has there would be no reason it would not be there.

Answer 9

If it is it's just another one that the Americans have to salute every day.

Answer 10

yes it is