File talk:Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag.jpg

Flag

I find it hard to believe that the flag would be blowing in the wind, since as far as I know, there is no wind on the moon. --24.222.149.188 13:58, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

How do you know it's moving? That's a photo, not a video clip. Photos are still pictures, with no movement. On the other hand, videos are motion pictures, but this isn't one of those, so your claims are unfounded.--Planetary 19:05, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. So you think it's stuck in a ruffled blown-like position? --Laikalynx 00:55, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

No. If it was video, it might be moving. There's something called inertia around, and with no air to slow the flag down, it might keep moving for some time. Once stopped, it wouldn't budge without anymore interference.--Planetary 01:01, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

"During the 2 1/2 hours in which they remained on the lunar surface (the "moon walk") Mr. Armstrong and Colonel Aldrin unveiled the plaque, signed by the three Apollo 11 astronauts and by President Nixon, the text of which is given on unfurled and planted on the moon a large American flag made of wire-backed nylon and measuring three feet by five feet;"

It was rolled up, and wire bound. Do the math. --70.161.245.105 (talk) 18:27, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Understood

Well, i used to have the same argue for the flag, never thought about the inertia thing... thanks Planetary. It sounds right!!! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.178.31.195 (talk) 08:42, 4 May 2007 (UTC).

Of course. Reality always turns out to be right. :) --Planetary 13:56, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

But doesn't that happen only in vacuum? Wouldn't the moon have some sort of gravity to pull the flag downward?

Of course the moon has gravity (1.6 m/s^2 to be exact). That's about a quarter of the earth's gravity, meaning that things fall at one quarter the rate that they do on earth (assuming air resistance is negligible). since d = (1/2)*a*t^2, the flag would have to be accelerating towards the surface of the moon (constrained by the pole, of course). The distance it would travel:

In 1/4 of a second: .05 m (2 inches)

1/2 sec: .2 m (8 inches)

1 sec: .8 m (2' 7.5")

2 sec: 3.2 m (10' 6")

However, the flag isn't moving downwards since it is fixed by a metal rod (look at the upper rim of the flag). So that's why it maintains the angle that it does. As stated before, inertia explains the ripples.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.247.44.242 (talk) 08:31, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Flag support: Wires or an upper brace or both?

It'd be nice to have a citation on what made the flag stiff, I know that I hadn't thought of it before, but I find the flag's "wave" (or more like crumple, from the appearance) interesting and needing a concrete explanation.

--Ah, found lots of good content at the site itself, especially this picture of the flag makeup, which shows the upper bracing pole that I kinda could see in the pictures: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/assembly.gif