The mission of the Chinese lunar lander: to pick up a few kilos of rocks from the moon and take them back to Earth for research. Just before the lander left yesterday, the flag was dropped and the probe took a few photos.
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The Chinese space agency did not disclose further details about how the flag was placed. The six American flags placed on the moon in missions between 1969 and 1972 were always placed by astronauts. The Chinese probe was unmanned.
It was the third time that a Chinese probe has landed on the moon. This is the first from China to leave the moon afterwards.
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Of the six American flags that were placed fifty years ago, at least five are still standing. They were captured by a satellite in 2012. Only the very first, placed by Buzz Aldrin on the first moon landing, is no longer there. It was probably too close to the capsule, so that it was blown away immediately upon take-off.
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