At the beginning of June, China became the first country in the world to collect samples from the far side of the Moonwhose arrival on Earth is scheduled for the 25th. The major scientific milestone once again demonstrated the titanic capacity of the Asian giant in the new space race, in which it reaffirms itself as a predominant actor.
To ‘celebrate’ the achievement and record its success, the mission lander Chang’e 6, with which Beijing has scored the goal, displayed a flag that symbolized the conquest. It is the second flag of a country, after the famous US flags flown by the astronauts of the Apollo program, which is nailed to the Moon. In 2020, a previous mission, Chang’e 5, also planted a similar, although not identical, one.
The curious thing, however, is both the material and the size of an insignia that, seen through the images broadcast by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), looks more like a computer made model than a real object.
The banner, in reality, is approximately size of a Din A4 sheet, and weighs only 11.3 grams. It is mainly made (62% of the composition) of basaltan abundant material on the satellite, which obeys the principle of resource utilization on site by which countries want to govern themselves for the conquest of space.
According to Wang Yunli, professor at Wuhan Textile University and member of the flag development team, the printing and dyeing procedure involved a special treatment. “Our pigments and formulas are specially developed to adapt the flag to the conditions of the Moon and the circumstances of orbit and landing” using “state-of-the-art” textile technology, he said.
Protection
In this sense, the team explains that the specific material they opted for was basalt fibera derivative with great insulation capacity at extreme temperatures and resistance to radiation that affects the lunar surface.
To make the flag, researchers converted basalt rocks brought from the Moon with the Chang’e 5 mission into ultrafine fibers. These fibers were converted into threads that were woven and, finally, printed. Finally, the performance of the fabrics was improved using specific physical and chemical methods and techniques, Wang explained. “After that, we proceeded to laser cutting, trimming and sewing until a national flag was made,” he added.
