# American flag on space probes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728 "2004-01-05T01:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/1 "2004-01-05T01:10:20Z")
Why do the put the American flag all over our space probes? Do they think any species that might find it or see it will recognize it? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/2 "2004-01-05T01:13:26Z")
It’s for the television and press coverage… Photos immediately show the origin of the probe… Its’ a point of pride of the originating company. That’s my guess. ---
**Author:** ![rpavlick3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5a626/32.png) [@rpavlick3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpavlick3)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/3 "2004-01-05T01:21:13Z")
You obviously noticed the American flag on a space probe, and since you aren’t an extraterrestial, I propose the intended audience is right here on Earth. As to the first question, the flag is a symbol of America and the space probe is something we cherish and have pride in. Just like we fly a flag over the Smithsonian, the Capitol building, Arlington National Cemetery, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/4 "2004-01-05T01:28:39Z")
Well, I’m watching the program on PBS about Spirit, the Mars lander. The images are from the lab. ---
**Author:** ![Ryle\_Dup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ryle\_Dup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryle_Dup)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/5 "2004-01-05T01:48:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Why do the put the American flag all over our space probes? Do they think any species that might find it or see it will recognize it? \*\* Yes, homo sapiens ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/6 "2004-01-05T02:45:39Z")
It also sometimes serves a secondary purpose: camera color calibration. Viking 1’s first pictures showed a lovely blue sky. Then they calibrated the camera using the flag on the lander (deliberately placed so it could be viewed for this purpose), realized they we way off, and then later pictures had a more realistic (but less lovely) pinkish sky. Note that US government aircraft has the flag, so why not spacecraft? I assume that private comsats and such are flag optional. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/7 "2004-01-05T02:47:45Z")
That makes sense **ftg** , I never thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![deadeyesdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@deadeyesdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deadeyesdad)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/8 "2004-01-05T02:58:11Z")
Hell we paid for it and we might as well be proud about it. Plus it shows all the people in Burkina Faso that we can go where they can’t ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/9 "2004-01-05T03:57:28Z")
It’s been a long time since there was any space effort that was entirely the work of one nation, and these landers are no different. Several German and French scientists and institutions were involved in this double project. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/10 "2004-01-05T04:16:35Z")
I thought this was going to pose “why is the flag backwards”… I know the US flag is backwards on jet aircraft, and if It is on spacecraft, I would assume the same answer would suffice… To signify that the flag is in flight… ((I think David Feldman with Impronderables tackled this one, I have most of his books)) ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/11 "2004-01-05T04:48:24Z")
It seems that governments love to put their name(so to speak) on everything they own. As to your specific questions, probably the same reason there are big “USA” on our ballastic missles. It’s not like the guy on the other end is going to read it, but, probably for the above reason, they do it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-flag-on-space-probes/222728/12 "2004-01-05T08:44:39Z")
Come on guys, The falg simply means we (the US) own Mars now. As with the Moon we were the first to stake our fag; we’re the ones that own it…😛