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Images taken by NASA spacecraft Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (LRO) show that the American flags planted in the Moon’s soil by Apollo astronauts are mostly still standing.

The photos from LRO show the flags are still casting shadows – except the one planted during the Apollo 11 landing.

This matches Buzz Aldrin’s account of the flag being knocked over by engine exhaust as Apollo 11 lifted off.

LRO was designed to produce the most detailed maps yet of the lunar surface.

Each of the Apollo missions planted an American flag in the soil at their landing sites.

Images taken by NASA spacecraft Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (LRO) show that the American flags planted in the Moon's soil by Apollo astronauts are mostly still standing

Images taken by NASA spacecraft Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (LRO) show that the American flags planted in the Moon's soil by Apollo astronauts are mostly still standing

Scientists had previously examined photos of the Apollo landing sites for the flags, and had seen what looked like shadows cast by them on the lunar surface. But this was not considered conclusive.

Now, researchers have studied photos of the landing sites taken at different points during the day (and under different illuminations) and have observed shadows circling the points where the flags are thought to be.

Prof. Mark Robinson, the chief scientist for the spacecraft’s camera instrument, LROC, said in a blog entry: “From the LROC images it is now certain that the American flags are still standing and casting shadows at all of the sites, except Apollo 11.”

He added: “The most convincing way to see that the flags are still there, is to view a time series of LROC images taken at different times of day, and watch the shadow circle the flag.

“Personally I was a bit surprised that the flags survived the harsh ultraviolet light and temperatures of the lunar surface, but they did. What they look like is another question (badly faded?).”

LRO began its mission in lunar orbit in September 2009, to identify mineral and other resources on the Moon as well as scout promising landing sites for future missions.

 

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars’s north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft.

It’s not the first avalanche captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA first detected the phenomenon in 2008, believed to be caused by a thin “crust” of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) which forms during the Martian winter.

The HiRISE high resolution camera took the amazing photograph at 85 degrees north on the planet.

The HiRISE camera is one of several hi-tech instruments on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It’s the largest camera ever carried into deep space.

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft

NASA’s ground team says that the events are detectable by a cloud of fine material that erupts when avalanches collapse down slopes on the planet.

Some avalanches on Mars are caused by meteorite impacts, but others are thought to be the result of ‘seasons’ on the planet, which has winters, just like Earth.

Planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, who first noticed the avalanches in photos taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter said: “It’s great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn’t changed for millions of years.”