Join us on Facebook Live as curator Teasel Muir-Harmony recounts the engineering challenges and controversial politics behind lunar flag raising. She will describe the fierce debate that broke out between White House, State Department, NASA, and Congressional staff about which the astronauts should raise on the Moon: the United Nations flag or the American flag. She will also discuss the technical constraints of “flying” a flag in an environment without an atmosphere.

Planning to attend in-person? Meet in the Apollo to the Moon gallery at the Museum in Washington, DC. 

Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. we will go live on the National Air and Space Museum Facebook page with an Ask an Expert talk. We’ll select a different aviation or space topic each week, and a Museum staff member will discuss the history, stories, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum. Tune in on Facebook Live each week to join the talk and ask our experts questions.