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Photos Show U.S. Flags on Moon Still Standing

By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.COM

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images of each Apollo site taken at roughly the same orientation but with different sun angles to show the travel of shadows. Combined with knowledge of the Apollo site maps which show where the flag was erected relative to the Lander, long shadows cast by the flags at three sites — Apollo 12, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17 — show that the these flags are still “flying,” held aloft by the poles. There is no indication of a flag shadow in this Apollo 11 image.

July 30, 2012 Updated Jul 30, 2012 at 3:05 PM PDT

An enduring question ever since the manned moon landings of the 1960s has been: Are the flags planted by the astronauts still standing?

Now, lunar scientists say the verdict is in from the latest photos of the moon taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC): Most do, in fact, still stand.

"From the LROC images it is now certain that the American flags are still standing and casting shadows at all of the sites, except Apollo 11," LROC principal investigator Mark Robinson wrote in a blog post today (July 27). "Astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported that the flag was blown over by the exhaust from the ascent engine during liftoff of Apollo 11, and it looks like he was correct!"

Each of the six manned Apollo missions that landed on the moon planted an American flag in the lunar dirt.

Scientists have examined images of the Apollo landing sites before for signs of the flags, and seen hints of what might be shadows cast by the flags. However, this wasn't considered strong evidence that the flags were still standing.

Now, researchers have examined photos taken of the same spots at various points in the day, and observed shadows circling the point where the flag is thought to be.

Robinson calls these photos "convincing."

"Personally I was a bit surprised that the flags survived the harsh ultraviolet light and temperatures of the lunar surface, but they did," Robinson wrote. "What they look like is another question".

To read the rest of this NBC News story, CLICK HERE.

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