{"id":792896,"date":"2025-01-22T11:46:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792896"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:46:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:46:06","slug":"chinas-change-7-will-include-a-flag-that-will-flap-on-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792896","title":{"rendered":"China&#8217;s Chang&#8217;e 7 Will Include a Flag That Will &#8216;Flap&#8217; on the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>China\u2019s Chang\u2019e 7 lunar lander mission will feature a flag fluttering in the vacuum of space.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A CNSA flag flying on the Moon. Credit: CGTN News screenshot. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the most often asked questions I get, while showing off the Moon to the public. \u201cCan you see the flag the astronauts left there?\u201d This then leads to a discussion on how far the Moon is, versus the difficulty of seeing a 1.5 by 0.9 meter flag at such a distance. My \u2018scope is <em>good<\/em>, but not that good.<\/p>\n<p>During the U.S. Apollo program, six crewed missions landed on the Moon starting with Apollo 11 in 1969, leaving a like number of flags. Now, China recently announced that one more flag will join the collection in late 2026, when Chang\u2019e 7 heads to the Moon.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-170350\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-flying-a-flag-on-the-moon\">Flying a Flag on the Moon <\/h2>\n<p>The curious report comes out of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) via the China Media Group. The free standing flag will actually be designed to \u2018flap\u2019 on the airless surface of the Moon. The idea was proposed by elementary school students out of Changsha in China\u2019s Hunan Province. The flag will have closed-loop wires embedded in the fabric, and \u2018flap\u2019 using magnetic currents and electromagnetic interactions to create a waving motion.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"426\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Change-flag.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-170541\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Coming soon: A \u2018flapping flag\u2019 on the Moon\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis initiative is intended to enhance young students\u2019 understanding of China\u2019s space program and inspire their interest in pursuing space exploration in the future,\u201d says Zhang Tianzhu (DSEL\/Institute of Technology) in a recent press release.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-race-to-the-lunar-pole\">A Race to the (Lunar) Pole<\/h2>\n<p>Chang\u2019e 7 is designed to carry out some serious science as well. The mission is destined to land near the edge of Shackleton Crater in the Moon\u2019s south polar region. The permanently shadowed floor of the crater is of special interest, as it is suspected to contain water ice. The mission will also carry six instruments from six nations, including a small rover and an observatory built and operated by the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) based out of Hawai\u2019i.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What&#039;s So Special About The Moon\u2019s South Pole\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q2c7nZB-040?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shackleton crater was one of the candidate landing sites for NASA\u2019s now canceled VIPER rover. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"South Pole\" class=\"wp-image-170542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1-580x326.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1-250x141.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/chinas-change-7-will-d-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Potential landing sites of interest clustered around the lunar south pole region. Credit: NASA\/LRO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the merits of having a flag flap in space may be limited, it should be an interesting bit of public outreach for the CNSA. Curiously, some of the screen captures show a CNSA logo (not a Chinese national flag) free-standing on a tall pole, meaning a bit of effort and planning will have to be taken to plant it in the lunar soil.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1014\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-1014x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-170543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-1014x1024.jpg 1014w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-574x580.jpg 574w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-248x250.jpg 248w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-768x775.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-1521x1536.jpg 1521w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-2028x2048.jpg 2028w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon during Apollo 11. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-china-in-space-2025\">China in Space 2025 <\/h2>\n<p>This year and next are busy ones for China\u2019s space agency. The agency plans on launching its first ever asteroid and comet sample return mission Tianwen-2 this May, headed to asteroid Kamo\u2019 oalewa (itself thought to be a fragment of the Moon) then onward to Comet 311P\/PanSTARRS. Then, China has plans to launch its own space telescope Xuntian in early 2026. This telescope will station-keep with the crewed Tiangong space station for access for upgrade and maintenance.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-1024x681.jpeg\" alt=\"Flag\" class=\"wp-image-170544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-1024x681.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-580x386.jpeg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-250x166.jpeg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-768x511.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-1536x1021.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/u_s__flag_visible_on_spacecraft_in_clean_room-2048x1362.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The U.S. Flag mounted on the New Horizons mission. Credit: NASA\/JPL <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Putting flags in space and on the Moon isn\u2019t a new thing. Generally, engineers mount the flags on the spacecraft itself. The U.S. flag placed on NASA\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft is headed out of the solar system. This symbol may well outlive the U.S. and humanity itself. U.S. flags planted by Apollo astronauts on the Moon have most likely been bleached white by intense ultraviolet solar radiation, though images by NASA\u2019s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in low lunar orbit confirm that at least as few are still standing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"509\" height=\"509\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/M113751661L_with_inset50cm.png\" alt=\"Apollo 17\" class=\"wp-image-170545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/M113751661L_with_inset50cm.png 509w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/M113751661L_with_inset50cm-250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/M113751661L_with_inset50cm-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Still standing: the Apollo 17 landing site, including the flag. Credit: NASA\/LRO <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But the award for the very first flag (or at least symbol) on the lunar surface goes to Luna 2, the first mission to hit the Moon in 1959 which carried a pennant of the now defunct Soviet Union:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Pennant\" class=\"wp-image-170546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-580x435.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Kansas_Cosmosphere_Luna_2_Pennant_2013-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A replica of the sphere onboard Luna 2, which impacted the Moon. Credit: Patrick Pelletier\/Wikimedia Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license<em>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It will be a curious moment (and most likely, an internet meme) to see a flag \u2018flap\u2019 next year on the surface of the Moon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-24000880-170350-67911dda0d548\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=14.0#blog_id=24000880&amp;post_id=170350&amp;origin=www.universetoday.com&amp;obj_id=24000880-170350-67911dda0d548&amp;n=1\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-24000880-170350-67911dda0d548\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/170350\/chinas-change-7-will-include-a-flag-that-will-flap-on-the-moon\/?rand=772204\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China\u2019s Chang\u2019e 7 lunar lander mission will feature a flag fluttering in the vacuum of space. A CNSA flag flying on the Moon. Credit: CGTN News screenshot. It\u2019s one of&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":792897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genaero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=792896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/792897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=792896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=792896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=792896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}