Brain Teasers
U.S. Flag Laws
According to U.S. law, there are officially designated days that all U.S. flags are to be flown at half-mast (for example: Memorial Day). The President and state governors also have the right to declare certain days that flags are to be flown at half-mast.
There is a particular group of U.S. flags that are never lowered to half-mast and appear to "violate" this U.S. Law. These flags were erected by U.S. Military personnel, but those troops will never be accused of doing anything wrong for those violations.
These flags are currently displayed today, and they have been for numerous years. Where is this particular group of flags displayed?
There is a particular group of U.S. flags that are never lowered to half-mast and appear to "violate" this U.S. Law. These flags were erected by U.S. Military personnel, but those troops will never be accused of doing anything wrong for those violations.
These flags are currently displayed today, and they have been for numerous years. Where is this particular group of flags displayed?
Hint
There are only six of these flags currently displayed, and none of them are on U.S. soil.Answer
These flags are on the moon.The first of these U.S. flags were deployed to the moon on July 20, 1969 by NASA astronauts. There are a total of 6 US flags deployed to the moon surface, one for each visit to the moon (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 & 17). We can only assume they are still standing and were not knocked down when the lunar modules' engines fired.
Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
Are astronauts considered military personnel??? I guess they would be...
All Apollo astronauts that made it to the moon, except one, were US Military members, (Navy, Air Force or Marine). Dr. Harrison Schmitt was a geologist.
That is cool never new tat^^ tq for the info
Very informative teaser. I saw them plant the flag in 1969 but I didn't realise that it was done on the next 5 visits.
Very cool!
very clever!
Good stuff!
I don't know if they all were but the original astronauts were chosen because they were military aviators (pilots). NASA originally being an offshoot of the military hypersonic plane program. Military personal being used to following strict disapline nesissary, and the stress of combat flight mirroring the stress of take-off made them ideal for the program.
Yes at the start only military pilots and engniers were allowed.Who knows when civelians were accepted? Also when will they add spell check? LOL sorry.
I never knew there were six flags on the moon, so I gave up after thinking "one of them has to be the flag on the moon". This is great. Favourited.
Excellent! Really clever!
very well written.. and educationel
I thought "troops" were here on earth...(God forbid if we need them on the moon, too!)
...
"Dr. Harrison Schmitt was a geologist."
That was why I knew it couldn't be the six flags on the Moon!!! You need to correct this error immediately!
haha, just kidding, , Im so funny sometimes... (emphasis on sometimes).
Anyway, I actually wasn't sure if the astros were military, but I did think "The Moon", so I guess I got it right. I wasn't really sure, but that was the only answer I had. I do think it would help to make clear that they are all in one location. In the Question, it seems to say once they're all together, and another time that they could be in different locations.
But, this was informative, fun, and um... informative, LOL, Thanks so much!!!
That was why I knew it couldn't be the six flags on the Moon!!! You need to correct this error immediately!
haha, just kidding, , Im so funny sometimes... (emphasis on sometimes).
Anyway, I actually wasn't sure if the astros were military, but I did think "The Moon", so I guess I got it right. I wasn't really sure, but that was the only answer I had. I do think it would help to make clear that they are all in one location. In the Question, it seems to say once they're all together, and another time that they could be in different locations.
But, this was informative, fun, and um... informative, LOL, Thanks so much!!!
Being a veteran I think this was well thought out and delivered in a very good format.
P.S. Thanks Drussel3. Keep up the good work.
I had no clue...good teaser though.
My first thought was the moon, and it made sense to me, but I didn't realize that there were 6 flags, and the significance of it. What a great bit of information to pass on. Thanks so much.
Thanks Drussel3.
I am Canadian and I learned a lot from this
I got the answer, it was the
only thing that seemed logical to me and I knew there were flags on the moon but not how many. The military part threw me off but not
being American I wasn't sure if that was part of the Space Program.
THANKS AGAIN GOOD ONE
I am Canadian and I learned a lot from this
I got the answer, it was the
only thing that seemed logical to me and I knew there were flags on the moon but not how many. The military part threw me off but not
being American I wasn't sure if that was part of the Space Program.
THANKS AGAIN GOOD ONE
I don't think Astronuats are considered our Military.
i love this brain teaser. it is cool.
The moon was the farthest thing from my mind! (Pun intended )
My guess was Arlington National Cemetary, but then, all national cemetaries should be the same and 24/7 half-mast would be more appropirate there than the opposite.
I've heard of 6 Flags over Texas, 6 flags over Georgia, but never 6 Flags over the Moon!
My guess was Arlington National Cemetary, but then, all national cemetaries should be the same and 24/7 half-mast would be more appropirate there than the opposite.
I've heard of 6 Flags over Texas, 6 flags over Georgia, but never 6 Flags over the Moon!
appropriate
wow im suprised. i actually got this one! good teaser!!
I got it right, and i think it was very well formatted. Good teaser.
That was not only a good teaser, it was very informative. I didn't get it right, but still enjoyed the post.
Thanks
Monday~
Thanks
Monday~
I was thinking of the flag on the moon, but I didn't know there were 6, and then I thought of that picture of the troops raising the flag over Iwo Jima, and thought of a statue that commemorates it. But then, that was only one flag, also. So I guess I should've stuck with the moon! Anyway, great teaser, and very informative!
I realized that astronauts were military (mostly Air Force) in the early days, and the thing that tipped my hand was a flag that would never be lowered (ie. fixed) and not on US soil. I didn't know there were 6, but I knew there were enough moon landings there might be six.
Excellent trivia question (even though I guessed it in a couple seconds).
Excellent trivia question (even though I guessed it in a couple seconds).
You got me with that one!
Great bit of trivia.
Great bit of trivia.
You said we can only assume they are still standing...can't the flags be seen with a telescope? Do we know the exact coordinates?
Just a great teaser, didn't solve it but it is a great teaser. by the way the first astronauts were chosen from the military, so they could be called troops.
The correct term is half-staff unless of course it is on a ship. And no, not all of the astronauts were military members at the time the flag was placed
There are other flags that aren't lowered, but it's a very clever teaser. I should have figured out why there were six of them.
Spammy, if you have access to point the Hubble telescope at the moon you might see the flags, but I don't think an earth based telescope will be able to see if the flag has fallen over.
More trivia: Since there is no wind on the moon, each flags has a rod to make the flag stand out. As they opened up the flag, Armstrong and Aldrin accidentally bent the rod, giving the illusion that the flag is waving in the breeze. Subsequent astronauts deliberately bent the rod to achieve this "traditional" effect.
Spammy, if you have access to point the Hubble telescope at the moon you might see the flags, but I don't think an earth based telescope will be able to see if the flag has fallen over.
More trivia: Since there is no wind on the moon, each flags has a rod to make the flag stand out. As they opened up the flag, Armstrong and Aldrin accidentally bent the rod, giving the illusion that the flag is waving in the breeze. Subsequent astronauts deliberately bent the rod to achieve this "traditional" effect.
Flags are flown at half mast only on board ships on land their flown at half staff
I have to admit I thought the answer was the flags in the Iwo Jima sculpture in Washington DC! Well done.
Sorry... no love for this "brainteaser" from me...
Since when does U.S. law apply to the moon? Since when are astronauts military?
Why would we accuse the people who erected the flag of anything? (Just because they erected it does not mean they are responsible for taking care of them).
And I wouldn't call a flag "on display" if its all the way on *the EFFIN' MOON* and we're not even sure if they are still standing.
Since when does U.S. law apply to the moon? Since when are astronauts military?
Why would we accuse the people who erected the flag of anything? (Just because they erected it does not mean they are responsible for taking care of them).
And I wouldn't call a flag "on display" if its all the way on *the EFFIN' MOON* and we're not even sure if they are still standing.
haha i got this wrong
but it was a good teaser
but it was a good teaser
Great teaser...well thought out and very informative! Even if I didn't get it right
Seems more like trivia than a brain teaser, but cool nonetheless. Cheers
I didn't even come close. I was thinking Iwo Jima, and places like that.
I need to review my History.
I need to review my History.
I thought of Iwo Jima too, but that's just one flag.
i didn't even think of the moon! i also thought arlington cemetery..
great teaser!!
great teaser!!
Very good one! I got it after the hint. I was thinking it was going to be more of a "loophole" trick riddle than that, like, the "flag" labels on the sides of ships or something. But when I heard there were only six...that changed everything.
Interesting teaser - thanks for posting!
Well, that was a super easy one. At least it was for me. A great event in our history!
Neil Armstrong served in the Navy, but he was a civilian when he flew space missions. He was the first civilian astronaut to fly in Gemini 8 and one of the reasons he was selected to be the first to step on the moon was because he was a civilian and it would avoid the appearance of military taking of the moon. Also, Buzz Aldrin saw the flag knocked down when Apollo 11 left the surface. The manufacturer of the flag has indicated that the flag has probably disintegrated from radiation exposure.
Fun, easy and entertaining teaser; I got it very quickly.
Great teaser. I never would have guessed the moon. I posited that there were six United Nations/NATO buildings around the world with flags from multiple countries flying side by side. I don't think the American flag is allowed to fly lower than flags from other nations. I wonder how that is handled. I know the Secretary General declares when flags are flown at half staff, but I don't know it can apply to individual coutries, or all 188 simultaneously.
I didn't know the answer, but I was able to figure it out. That's a great teaser! Like a Jeopardy question... you don't have to know everything, you just have to figure out how and why they're asking.
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!