Flag on the moon

[Noah]

Is the first flag on the moon still standing? Was it ever seen from earth? Or radiation has desintegrated ?

 

[sarajo]

I dont know- it seems more logical scientifically that it would ve been disintegrated by now

 

[Knowledge is power]

it's still flapping in the wind

 

[sarajo]

After all this time -since 1969 -I was only 2 when that happened so I wont have seen it although like everyone -know it happened.

Bet that its got tons of holes in it though if it s flapping in the wind - there woudnt be any wind on the moon would there??

 

[Knowledge is power]

After all this time -since 1969 -I was only 2 when that happened so I wont have seen it although like everyone -know it happened.

Bet that its got tons of holes in it though if it s flapping in the wind - there woudnt be any wind on the moon would there??

Yes I was having a laugh, no wind on the moon!

 

[Celarius]

I would think that it was first bleached white from the direct sunlight then the radiation would deteriorate and break apart the materials it was made of. Any micrometeorites would shred anything left.That is if the take blast didn't destroy it. I wonder how the rest of the gear left behind faired.

 

[Anthony Hudson]

Was it ever placed there? or more 'space race' US GOVT led, cold war fake news of suggested superiority.
Cape canaverell may have only been looking at what the CIA was streaming to them by cable networks controlled by themselves, we will never know what happened to the flag, deterioration would have been the answer, but i could imagine that there is NO pole there, (but it should be), if it were there in the first place, spring loaded boots, in slow motion pic, may account for a lot.

 

[Observeration2020]

What material is it made of ? I suspect cotton might be more durable. Normal nylon would not fair well after 50 years of unfiltered UV. Our nylon gazebo bleached and lost strength in only 8-9 months of Texas late summer fall and winter sun. Less gravity though to pull it down douring loss of material strength.

Not sure but satellites in Earth orbit get sanded optics etc from micrometeors in a lot less than 50 years.

I think the flag was intentionally placed at distance from takeoff to prevent blastoff from knocking it down. No atmosphere to continue propagation of blast once it bounced off surface. So probably fair simple geometry issue.

My WAG is that it did not last past first 10 years despite low gravity and lack of wind.

 

[Observeration2020]

Unless moon maidens crept out of moon cracks and saved it as wall hanging souveneir.

 

[Observeration2020]

Normal nylon would not fair well after 50 years of unfiltered UV. Our nylon gazebo bleached and lost strength in only 8-9 months of Texas late summer fall and winter sun.

I guess there is a big question of what role solar activation of various air molecules plays in the decay of nylon or other flag materials. Is it direct UV breakdown of polymer bonds or is it "oxidation" by ozone or other ionized air molecules/atoms? If air molecules are the key driver then the lack air may have protected flag against UV. Dark colors in direct sunlight might then become a question though not for burning.

If micrometeors are the dominating flag erosion factor, a tatter flag may still be erect. Cotton more likely than ultra thin nylon though.