Why does the US flag wave on the windless Moon?

As we know, humans first landed on the moon in July 1969. They were the astronauts of the American spacecraft Apollo 11.

At the time, it was a sensation, and the video of the US flag being planted on the moon instantly spread around the world.

In those dramatic shots, you can see that the flag is waving. But as we know, there is no atmosphere on the moon, which means there can be no wind, so how is this possible?

The moon, Earth’s satellite, has no atmosphere to speak of. It is surrounded only by the so-called exosphere, an extremely thin shell.

The US flag, which was planted on the Moon by astronauts in 1969, was specially designed for the Apollo missions.

Astronomers named the flag the Lunar Flag Assembly. The base of the flagpole was made of a metal pole and a horizontal extendable crossbar.

The flag itself was made of nylon, a lightweight and very elastic material that retains its shape well.

The horizontal crossbar was designed to keep the flag straight, as there is no wind on the moon to lift the fabric.

The nylon flag fabric was gathered into folds. These folds created a visual effect of movement even when the flag was static.

Historical videos show that the fabric only vibrates when the astronauts push the pole into the ground.

These hand movements were transmitted through the pole and caused the flag to vibrate. On Earth, such vibrations would quickly die away due to air resistance.

But there is no air on the Moon, so the vibrations lasted longer. This is what created the illusion that the flag was fluttering in the wind.

Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk – Original NASA EVA Mission Video – Walking on the Moon.