Untouched Relics: Apollo 11’s Legacy on the Moon

🚀 The Beginning of the End: Apollo 11’s Departure

NASA Radio: “Eagle (this is) Houston, looking good”

After spending 21 hours and 36 minutes on the surface of the Moon, it was time for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to start heading home.

NASA Radio: “Nine, eight, seven, six, five, abort stage, engine arm ascent, proceed”

🧐 What Remains on the Moon?

In this blog, we will explore what the astronauts left behind on one of the most significant historical sites—one that no one has visited since their departure.

🏳️ The Fallen Flag and Commemorative Items

During the astronauts’ takeoff, Buzz Aldrin observed the site from a window and noticed that the engine’s spearing exhaust was whirling up Moon dust, ultimately causing the American flag to tip over and fall to the ground.

A special mounting mechanism had been designed for the flag; with no wind on the Moon, it had to be held upright by a horizontal crossbar. However, the flag itself, made of nylon, was not a custom-made product but ordered through the standard government supply catalog.

Other commemorative items include:

• A metal plaque featuring the signatures of the Apollo 11 crew and then U.S. president Richard Nixon
• An Apollo 1 Mission patch to honor astronauts who died in a tragic accident
• Commemorative medals for Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Komarov
• A small silicon disk containing Goodwill messages from the leaders of 73 countries
• A gold Olive Branch symbolizing Global Peace

These items were stored in a shoulder pocket on Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit. Almost forgetting to leave them, Aldrin was reminded by Armstrong while already on the ladder to re-enter the lunar module. Aldrin then dropped the items onto the lunar surface.

🧪 Scientific Instruments Left Behind

Besides purely symbolic objects, we can find instruments used for experiments:

💥 The Seismometer

This device, powered by solar panels, measured ground vibrations, recording data on the strength, duration, and approximate direction of seismic events before transmitting this data back to Earth. Unfortunately, three weeks after the moon landing, the device stopped sending data, presumably because it overheated in the midday Sun.

🔭 The Lunar Laser Retro Reflector

Acting as a special mirror, this device reflects incoming light in exactly the same direction from which the beam originates. Scientists on Earth can direct a laser beam towards this device, which reflects the light back. Since the speed of light is known, this can measure the exact distance between Earth and the Moon. Remarkably, this is the only experiment from Apollo 11 that still works to this day.

Other scientific experiments include:

• Rock sample collection and ground resistance measurements
• A special sheet to measure the solar wind outside of Earth’s magnetosphere. Since this sail was brought back to Earth, only the supporting pole remains on the Moon

🗑️ The Trash Left Behind

Near the Lander, there’s an area cluttered with objects. The astronauts jettisoned various equipment to make room for the maximum amount of rock samples. This includes:

• Equipment that had already served its purpose
• The black and white camera that transmitted both the first steps on the moon and the raising of the flag to a global audience

👣 The Lasting Impressions

Lastly, the astronauts left their footprints behind, often symbolizing the monumental achievement of this journey.

The paths they took are clearly visible in the moondust. Intriguingly, Neil Armstrong went on an unplanned trip to the Little West crater during extra vehicular activity.

🕒 Passage of Time

The site’s condition is expected to change slowly—not in weeks or months but over decades, centuries, and possibly longer.

Solar radiation has likely changed the site visually. Without an atmosphere to protect the Moon, intense ultraviolet radiation of sunlight impacts materials. The colors of the U.S. flag are believed to have faded, and the nylon flag is probably tattered and disintegrated. Extreme temperature fluctuations (between 100°C heat during the day and -150°C cold at night) further contribute to material degradation.

In conclusion, the Apollo 11 landing site is a truly fascinating historical site. Unlike archaeological sites on Earth, it is superbly preserved but remains hardly studyable.