Unravelling the fabric of China’s flag on the moon
As of December 3, 2020, China became the second country to leave its national flag on the moon (pictured) - more than 50 years after the US first planted its own flag there in 1969.
The flag is made of a “high-performance” aramid fibre (produced by Taihe New Materials in Yantai, Shandong province), combined with Wuhan Textile University’s “efficient short process embedded composite spinning technology”, local media said.
However, the material of the flag is “not ordinary aramid”, deputy director of Taihe New Materials, Wang Zhongwei, told reporters. To ensure the proper display (and longevity) of China’s first fabric flag on the moon, the scientific research team investigated appropriate materials for over a year.
Ultimately, after “countless” thermal compatibility, high and low temperature resistance, anti-static and anti-lunar dust trials (led by Wuhan Textile University), a “new type of high-performance composite material” was developed, Mr Wang said.
According to Chinese media, the new fabric can withstand the harsh environment of the moon and does not fade, colour contaminate or deform.
Image taken by a camera on the Chang’e-5 space probe before it left the moon. Source: CNSA/Reuters.
