Have later Apollo missions or lunar orbiters photographed the flags left on the Moon?
Executive summary
High-resolution images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show shadow evidence consistent with five of the six Apollo flags still standing on the Moon (all except Apollo 11) — LRO teams and multiple science outlets report flags casting shadows at Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 sites [1] [2]. Observers caution the images show shadows and pole-sized features; the fabric itself has almost certainly been bleached and degraded by decades of unshielded solar ultraviolet and thermal cycling [2] [3].
1. LRO’s pictures answered a decades‑old question
When LRO began returning narrow‑angle camera images in 2009, its team published movies and time‑series showing small features near the descent stages that cast rotating shadows consistent with flagpoles and fabric — the LROC team concluded the flags are still present and casting shadows at all sites except Apollo 11 [1] [4].
2. Apollo 11: eyewitness and orbital evidence agree it fell
Buzz Aldrin reported seeing the Apollo 11 flag knocked over by the Lunar Module ascent engine plume during liftoff; LROC data found no convincing shadow or pole at Tranquility Base and NASA/LROC concluded Apollo 11’s flag appears to have been blown over [1] [5].
3. “Still standing” does not mean “intact and colorful”
Scientists emphasize that LRO’s images have limited resolution at flag scale; what’s visible is essentially the shadow signature and a pole‑sized bright/dark mark — these data do not show fabric detail. Most specialists expect the nylon flags have been bleached white and embrittled by unfiltered ultraviolet radiation and temperature extremes, so while upright features remain, the textile is likely degraded [2] [3].
4. How we know it’s a flag shadow, not just a pole or artifact
LROC scientists pointed to time‑of‑day imaging — the same location imaged under different sun angles produces a moving shadow that tracks like a vertical cloth would, which is the strongest evidence distinguishing a simple pole cast from terrain artifact. LROC’s team provided animations and commentary showing the shadow “circle” the object, supporting the flag interpretation for several sites [1] [4].
5. Which Apollo flags show evidence in photographs
Public reporting and compendia repeatedly list the same set: LROC imagery indicates flags from Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 show shadows consistent with upright flags; Apollo 11 is the lone site without such a shadow signature [4] [2] [6].
6. Limits of the evidence and competing viewpoints
Some analysts and forum commentators stress the cameras cannot resolve fabric detail and that a flag’s small size relative to pixel scale means what you see may be a combined pole+shadow effect rather than a crisp cloth image; others accept the shadow‑time series as convincing. Both positions appear in the reporting: LROC scientists assert the moving shadow is convincing evidence [1], while independent commentators note resolution limits and the likelihood of severe fading [7] [3].
7. Why this matters beyond curiosity
The flags are symbolic historical artifacts and their condition informs expectations for exposed materials on the Moon as human activity resumes. NASA and commentators use the LRO results to plan site preservation, to model material survivability in lunar environments, and to manage heritage‑site questions for future missions [2] [3].
8. What available sources do not mention
Available sources do not mention any LRO or other orbiter images that clearly resolve fabric texture or original colors of the flags; they also do not document any recent on‑site inspections by humans that would directly confirm material condition beyond orbital inference [1] [2].
Sources cited in this piece include analysis and team comments from LROC/LRO (the LROC “Question Answered!” post and related materials) and contemporary science reporting summarizing those findings [1] [2] [4] [3].