<P> Every U.S. astronaut since the crew of Gemini 4 has worn the flag on the left shoulder of his or her space suit, with the exception of the crew of Apollo 1, whose flags were worn on the right shoulder . In this case, the canton was on the left . </P> <P> The flag did not appear on U.S. postal stamp issues until the Battle of White Plains Issue was released in 1926, depicting the flag with a circle of 13 stars . The 48 - star flag first appeared on the General Casimir Pulaski issue of 1931, though in a small monochrome depiction . The first U.S. postage stamp to feature the flag as the sole subject was issued July 4, 1957, Scott catalog number 1094 . Since that time the flag has frequently appeared on U.S. stamps . </P> <P> In 1907 Eben Appleton, New York stockbroker and grandson of Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead (the commander of Fort McHenry during the 1814 bombardment) loaned the Star Spangled Banner Flag to the Smithsonian Institution, and in 1912 he converted the loan to a gift . Appleton donated the flag with the wish that it would always be on view to the public . In 1994, the National Museum of American History determined that the Star Spangled Banner Flag required further conservation treatment to remain on public display . In 1998 teams of museum conservators, curators, and other specialists helped move the flag from its home in the Museum's Flag Hall into a new conservation laboratory . Following the reopening of the National Museum of American History on November 21, 2008, the flag is now on display in a special exhibition, "The Star - Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem," where it rests at a 10 degree angle in dim light for conservation purposes . </P> <P> By presidential proclamation, acts of Congress, and custom, U.S. flags are displayed continuously at certain locations . </P>

What is the meaning of the colors of the flag