Apollo 11's flag was knocked flat by the lunar module's own exhaust the instant the astronauts lifted off, meaning the first banner on the moon stood upright for less than a day

Apollo 11's flag was knocked flat by the lunar module's own exhaust the instant the astronauts lifted off, meaning the first banner on the moon stood upright for less than a day

Buzz Aldrin reported observing the American flag fall over through the window of the Eagle’s ascent stage as the lunar module’s engine blasted a curtain of gas across the Sea of Tranquility and flattened the only banner Apollo 11 had left behind. He mentioned it in the post-flight debrief almost in passing: the flag went down the instant they lifted off. The first flag on the Moon had stood upright for less than a day. That is the entire lifespa…