NASA Missions and the American Flag (Photos)

Orion

The American flag decorates part of the Orion spacecraft crew module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility at Kennedy Space Center.

Representing during Work

On the left shoulder of astronaut Patrick G. Forrester's spacesuit, the United States flag is clear as he works with the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE).

Teamwork

Apollo 9 astronauts, from left, James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott and Russell L. Schweickart, pose with the American flag in front of the Apollo/Saturn V for the Apollo 8 launch.

Icons

On a foggy February morning in 2014, a U.S. flag flies outside NASA's 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

Next Steps

The U.S. flag flies behind Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene A. Cernan during the mission's second moonwalk on December 12, 1972.

Proud Moments

On July 16, 1969, the American flag flew in the foreground as the giant Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 mission. The rocket carried astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into space for the first lunar landing mission.

Unique Perspectives

In a rare image taken by Buzz Aldrin, the U.S. flag flies as commander Neil Armstrong works at the lunar module Eagle.

Joy Indescribable

At Mission Control, NASA and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) officials join flight controllers celebrating the success of the Apollo 11 mission with American flags and cigars.

Steps into Space

The United States flag plays a prominent role in this image of Expedition 35 Flight Engineer Chirs Cassidy during a spacewalk on May 11, 2013.

History Remembered

The American flag patch from Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 suit, as seen in April 2006 at the National Air and Space Museum's Garber Facility in Suitland, Md.