Originally posted by whos_out_there
or has anybody even been able to take a high resolution pic with a telescope and capture a shot of the U.S flag up there, i don't think i've ever
come across a pic like that. but i'm sure you guys have seen one or two.
The flag actually fell over when they left the moon. It was just stuck into the ground a few inches, and the blast from the rockets when they left
knocked it down.
Buzz Aldrin - Nasa Apollo 11 Mission Notes
Liftoff from the Moon, after a stay totaling twenty-one hours, was exactly on schedule and fairly uneventful. The ascent stage of the LM separated,
sending out a shower of brilliant insulation particles which had been ripped off from the thrust of the ascent engine. There was no lime to sightsee.
I was concentrating on the computers, and Neil was studying the attitude indicator, but I looked up long enough to see the flag fall over . . .
I suppose that one of the Apollo missions could have left a flag standing, but it would be very hard to find. You're talking about searching a large
area for a very small object. The intented landing site had a crater and rubble, so Neil and Buzz had to pick another landing site. They had defer the
landing for such a long time that when they touched down, they only had 30 seconds of fuel left.
EAGLE: 540 feet, down at 30 [feet per second] . . . down at 15 . . . 400 feet down at 9 . . . forward . . . 350 feet, down at 4 . . . 300 feet,
down 3 1/2 . . . 47 forward . . . 1 1/2 down . . . 13 forward . . . 11 forward? coming down nicely . . . 200 feet, 4 1/2 down . . . 5 1/2 down . . . 5
percent . . . 75 feet . . . 6 forward . . . lights on . . . down 2 1/2 . . . 40 feet? down 2 1/2, kicking up some dust . . . 30 feet, 2 1/2 down . . .
faint shadow . . . 4 forward . . . 4 forward . . . drifting to right a little . . . O.K. . . .
HOUSTON: 30 seconds [fuel remaining].
EAGLE: Contact light! O.K., engine stop . . . descent engine command override off . . .
HOUSTON: We copy you down, Eagle.
EAGLE: Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!
Houston didn't even know the actual location of the Eagle's landing point until some time after the mission was over. (Back at earth) Finding the
exact location from a telescope on earth would be nearly impossible.
[edit on 22-7-2004 by dbates]