When we first landed on the moon in December of 1968 an American Flag
was put into the moon's surface.  My question is that flag still
standing?

Dear policajo-ga,

Without meaning to sound glib, the answer is that is someone will have
to return to the moon and check the flag.

The astronauts did have some difficulty in placing the flag pole into
the moon?s surface, so it may have not been that secure. A NASA
article states that it ?it is uncertain if the flag remained standing
or was blown over by the engine blast when the ascent module took
off.?

I have found uncorroborated comments on message boards that Buzz
Aldrin wrote in his book ?Return to Earth? that the flag fell over
during RCS hotfire tests prior to liftoff. Unfortunately, the book is
not available on amazon.com?s ?search inside? feature, nor on Google
Print. This fact was not mentioned on any of the NASA Apollo 11
de-briefing documents.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394488326/amzna9-1-20/ref=nosim/103-1632138-1286224?dev-t=D26XECQVNV6NDQ%26camp=2025%26link_code=xm2

NASA Lunar Surface Journal
?[Armstrong (Post mission press conference) - "We had some difficulty,
at first, getting the pole of the flag to remain in the surface. In
penetrating the surface, we found that most objects would go down
about 5, maybe 6, inches and then it would meet with a gradual
resistance. At the same time, there was not much of a support force on
either side, so we had to lean the flag back slightly in order for it
to maintain this position."]?
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/a11.step.html

Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of
Placing a Flag on the Moon
?Deployment and Performance
The first U.S. flag on the moon was deployed by Neil Armstrong and
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin during their historic EVA on 20 July 1969 (at 4
days, 14 hours and 9 minutes mission-elapsed time). The flag was seen
worldwide on live television (Fig. 6). At their technical crew
debriefing, Armstrong and Aldrin reported few problems with the
deployment. They had trouble extending the horizontal telescoping rod
and could not pull it all the way out. This gave the flag a bit of a
"ripple effect," and later crews intentionally left the rod partially
retracted. The Apollo 11 astronauts also noted that they could drive
the lower portion of the pole only about 6 to 9 inches into the
surface. It is uncertain if the flag remained standing or was blown
over by the engine blast when the ascent module took off.?
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/alsj-usflag.html


The web site Telescopes.com speculates that ?It is uncertain if the
flag remained standing or was blown over the by engine blast when the
ascent module took off to return the crew back to Earth. The lunar
surface was barely holding the flag upright enough to begin with, it
is unlikely that the flag is still upright.?

Even the most powerful telescope cannot see the flag . 
?The flag on the moon is 125cm (4 feet) long. You would require a
telescope around 200 meters in diameter to see it. The largest
telescope now is the Keck Telescope in Hawaii at 10meters in diameter.
Even the Hubble Space telescope is only 2.4 meters in diameter.?
http://www.telescopes.com/faq/17.html


These are the forums which provide the Buzz Aldrin information.

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.history/search?group=sci.space.history&q=aldrin+moon+flag&qt_g=1&searchnow=Search+this+group

http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php?t=3569&highlight=flag


I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder


Search strategy
moon flag ?still standing?
moon flag ?fell over?
?Return to Earth" flag "fell over"
And followed various links.

---

Clarification of Answer by answerfinder-ga on 09 Nov 2005 08:11 PST

Sorry,
I should pointed out that man first landed on the moon 20 July 1969.
You can see the details here.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.html

well done

Film from the ascent module at the time of lift off from other Apollo
missions clearly show the flag been blown over.

I suspect the flags in all the Apollo missions were blown over either
at ascent or during pre-ascent rocket tests tests.

If they survived this they are probably still standing.

Mongolia

'Return To Earth" by Colonel Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., with Wayne
Warga, copyright 1973, First Edition, page 239:

"Lift-off from the moon, after a stay totaling twenty-one hours, was
exactly on schedule and fairly uneventful. The ascent stage of the LM
separated from the descent stage with its chunky body and spindly
legs, sending out a shower of brilliant insulation particles which had
been ripped off from the thrust of the ascent engine.

"There was no time to sightsee. I was concentrating intently on the
computers, and Neil was studying the attitude indicator, but I looked
up long enough to see the flag fall over. Seconds after lift-off, the
LM pitched forward about 45 degrees, and though we had anticipated it
would be an abrupt and maybe even a frightening maneuver, the straps
and springs securing us in the LM cushioned the tilt so much and the
acceleration was so great it was barely noticeable."

Search strategy:
Personal copy of the book

far_afield-ga,
Thank you for taking the time to post the confirmation from 'Return to Earth'.
answerfinder-ga