The precise number of the six American flags that NASA believes are still flying on the moon has been disclosed by a space expert.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first and second men to set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969.
The two raised their hands and saluted a nylon US flag after planting a pole seven inches into the lunar surface to signify the success of their Apollo 11 mission.
It is reported that after listening to former President Richard Nixon’s inaugural speech in January 1969, NASA was motivated to send its astronauts to plant a flag on the first landing.
Since then, five more American banners have been erected on the moon – one for each US Apollo landing.
However, what has become of the six markers over time, and are any of them still in place?
Astrophotographer Robert Reeves claims that not all of them have endured throughout time.
Taking to YouTube to share 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 million miles away. The smallest objects on the Moon that can be seen with any Earthbound telescope, even the largest research telescope, are only a little under a mile across.
“Since the flags left on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts are only about four feet wide, unfortunately, they’re a thousand times smaller than what we can spot from the Earth.
“Not even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope can see the flags.”
According to Reeves, even though the flags are invisible from Earth, NASA is able to monitor their status.
Let me introduce you to NASA’s robotic Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been in lunar orbit since 2009.
According to the space agency, LRO has just taken pictures that appear to be the shadows of the flags that were flown on the Apollo 12, 16, and 17 flights.
That leaves three of the six presumably undamaged, but what about the other five?
Regretfully, the makers at the Apollo 14 and 15 sites have eluded LRO’s search.
“Scientists believe those flags weren’t just bleached, but their nylon was completely disintegrated by solar ultraviolet radiation,” Reeves explained in his YouTube video.
As a result, the fate of the Apollo 14 and 15 flags from 1971 is still unclear.
The expert continued by disclosing what happened to Armstrong and Aldrin’s initial banner.
The Apollo 11 flag was positioned by the moonwalkers 27 feet from the Lunar Lander Eagle’s centerline.
According to Celestron, the flagpole was unable to endure the rocket exhaust during liftoff.
The good news is that specialists think the nylon flag would have been maintained by being buried by moon dust, so maybe one day it will be found.
Though it would take some time before the theory is validated, the last crewed Nasa Appolo trip to the moon was in December 1972.
