But Look! The Flag Flutters!

Abstract

Without air there can’t be any wind. And without wind, a flag cannot flutter. Since there isn’t any atmosphere on the Moon, you would expect that a flag wouldn’t be moved by the wind. Planting a flag on the Moon was actually never thought about during mission planning. It was included so late in the program, that the procedure for planting the flag was the only activity for which the astronauts of Apollo 11 did not train. It turns out that Armstrong and Aldrin didn’t manage to plant the flag firmly enough into the ground, so during their launch off the Moon in the Lunar Module the flag fell down. But now critics point out that, in several NASA recordings, the American flag planted on the Moon flaps in the wind. Their argument is this: In several video sequences, the flag flutters in the wind and therefore, the respective scenes must have been shot on Earth.