The next American flag to be planted on the moon has been placed in the hands of one of the last astronauts to walk on the lunar surface.
Late into the night during the America 250 celebrations in Washington, D.C. on July 4, President Donald Trump delivered the keynote address from the National Mall, praising the country's history and accomplishments. The speech also acknowledged several American heroes in attendance, from military veterans, descendants of notable American historical figures like Davy Crocket, and the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission that flew around the moon in April.
Each honoree was invited briefly on stage, and recognized in front of an array of historical American flags, like the oldest known one in existence from 1777, the flag draped over the casket of Abraham Lincoln and one carried by Lewis and Clark in 1803. The Artemis crew were joined by Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt, and presented before the flag flown aboard the Wright brothers' plane on its first flight in 1903. They were also given a flag to take with them before walking off stage.
"Within 66 years of inventing the airplane, Americans planted our flag on the moon. Just three months ago, we sent American astronauts back to the far side of the moon, and this time they flew further from Earth than anyone has ever flown before," Trump said of the astronauts, and told the crowd, "I have a special gift for these patriots."
As he spoke, U.S. Air Force Maj. Kaitlyn Tinkham joined the astronauts, carrying a folded flag in her hands. "This morning, on America's 250th birthday, a new flag was flown above the United States Capitol," Trump said. "Tonight I present it to you, to soon be planted by American astronauts on their upcoming return to the moon."
Tinkham handed the flag to Schmitt. Standing next to him, Artemis II commander NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman put an arm on Schmitt's shoulder as the two stood in recognition of the symbolism of the flag being held by a member of the Apollo generation alongside the astronauts currently taking on NASA's return to the moon.
Wiseman was joined by his Artemis II crewmates, NASA astronauts Victory Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (who recently announced his retirement). The four-person crew launched aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft on April 1, and flew a 10-day mission around the far side of the moon. Their journey took them farther from Earth than any crewed spaceflight in history, and captivated millions of people following their mission from launch to splashdown.
It was the only flight of Orion with astronauts aboard, and the first crewed mission of NASA's Artemis program, which endeavors to return astronauts to the surface of the moon and eventually establish a permanent base. With the success of Artemis II behind it, the agency has shifted into full gear for preparations for Artemis III and Artemis IV.
NASA is currently targeting Artemis III for mid-to-late 2027, which will launch Orion into low Earth orbit for a rendezvous and docking operations validation flight with the program's two commercial lunar lander vehicles, SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon. Artemis IV is scheduled for 2028, and is slated to be the first Artemis mission to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface.
And, while we don't yet know the crew that will fly that mission, the flag they will plant on the moon once they land is now officially in the hands of NASA's astronauts.
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