More Bad Judgement on ISS? No, It Was Fake Artifacts
Confederate flags on space station draw ire, MSNBC
How Did A Confederate Flag Get Aboard the International Space Station?, SpaceRef
Editor’s 13 June 6:40 pm EDT update: I just spoke with Alex Panchenko, the person who posted this item on eBay. Panchenko called to tell me that he had spoken with Salizhan Sharipov today and that Sharipov knew absolutely nothing about these flags. Panchenko told me that his source for these flags was a third party and not Sharipov. As such he is now convinced that these flags are not what they were presented as being and that they are forgeries.
Moreover, Panchenko told me that he was unaware of the controversy that surrounds this flag in the U.S. until he consulted a history book. He told me that had he known what this flag represents to some people he would never have posted it on eBay in the first place or even consider selling it at all. Panchenko is now making certain that everyone knows that this was the result of an honest mistake and is trying to get eBay to pull the item off of its website.
Editor’s 12 June 4:00 pm EDT update: I decided not to ask NASA PAO for comments to see if they’d try on their own to correct the record and/or explain how this happened. No one has contacted me, so I have to assume that NASA PAO does not have any problems with the flying of what many consider to be a hate symbol aboard a space station paid for with tax dollars.
Editor’s 11 June 2:30 pm EDT update: Looks like this item was pulled from bidding around noon today. It says “The seller ended this listing early.” Now you can simply buy it for a fixed price.
Soyuz TMA-5/ISS-10 Flown American Confederate Flag, eBay
“4 x 6 inches American Confederate Flag flown on board Soyuz TMA-5 and International Space Station 192 days during Expedition-10. Cancelled on orbit with three handstamps (main handstamp BOARD OF ISS and two round onboard handstamps Soyuz TMA-5 and ISS-10). Signed by ISS-10 crew Leroy Chiao (ISS-10 commander) and Salizhan Sharipov (Soyuz TMA-5 commander, ISS-10 engineer).”
Editor’s 10 June 6:19 pm EDT note: Scroll down to th ebottom of this listing for photos. It looks like this pile of flags was flown for one purpose: profit. This seems to be something initiated by Russia – not the U.S. None the less, you’d think that someone on the U.S. side of the ISS program would have expressed some concern about flying a symbol on the ISS that many Americans associate with slavery. Of course, others see it differently – as a symbol of their heritage. I wonder what the Russians would think if the U.S. flew this flag? Let’s see what NASA PAO says on Monday morning.
Is Anyone Paying Attention To Reality on the 9th Floor? (Moscow Aviation Institute T-shirts on ISS), earlier post
