China unfurls its flag on Moon: Second nation in the world

China becomes the second nation in the world after USA to unfurl its national flag on the surface of moon. USA achieved this feat around 50 years ago. The China National Space Administration accomplished this through Chang’e 5, a spacecraft (named after Chinese moon goddess), which along with the mission of unfurling the flag, would also be bringing back the lunar samples for scientific research (3rd nation after USA and Soviet Union). Moon’s harsh environment with dust, unfiltered cosmic rays and solar flares, makes the flags put up there to lose their colour and disintegrate. For this mission, the Chinese team did detailed research to find a new material which can remain intact in the harsh lunar environment and retain the bright national colors of the Chinese flag. The fabric would not stick together when rolled up in temperature of 150 degree Celsius to minus 150 degree Celsius. The flag weighs 12 grams only. The panoramic camera installed on the lander-ascender combination of the probe took the image of the Chinese flag standing still on windless lunar surface. Congratulations China!