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A single small American flag was selected from amongst a thousand for an extraordinary voyage, unlike its counterparts that likely became memorabilia. The flag, known as the Legacy Flag, undertook a historic journey that didn’t begin with it—the first flag in space traveled with Alan B. Shepard on May 5, 1961, while the most iconic flag was the one planted on the Moon by Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin on July 20, 1969. Others have reached beyond our solar system. But what sets the Legacy Flag apart on Flag Day 2024?
Left: Launch of space shuttle Columbia on the STS-1 mission, April 12, 1981. Right: Landing of Columbia, April 14, 1981.
NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida saw space shuttle Columbia’s first launch on April 12, 1981, with Columbia ferrying its crew and 1,000 American flags destined for post-mission distribution. The space shuttle returned, and while most flags found homes, some sat in storage at NASA JSC, Houston. Come the final shuttle mission in 2011, STS-135, one of the STS-1 flags was chosen to fly again, symbolizing the continuation of American spaceflight, awaiting the next U.S. spacecraft and crew.
Left: Launch of STS-135, July 8, 2011. Right: The crew of STS-135 pose with the Legacy Flag on the flight deck of Atlantis.
The Legacy Flag was revealed during a live TV session with President Barack H. Obama, to remain on the station until returned by a crew launched from U.S. soil. Its journey, though, included temporary stowage, relocation, and at one point, placement in a Ziploc bag, attached with a note for future American astronauts.
