The Moon Landing Cannot Be Reviewed by Any Independent Person

Almost 50 years agone, on July 20, 1969, the spacecraft Apollo xi safely landed astronauts on the moon'southward surface for the first fourth dimension. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent over 21 hours on the moon collecting lunar samples, installing equipment, taking photos and erecting an American flag. By 1970, NASA would ship five more manned missions and 10 more astronauts to the moon's surface.

Most historians hold that the Apollo 11 moon landing was ane of civilization's greatest achievements. However, there are many who are skeptical that the moon landing ever happened. Let's explore a few of moon landing conspiracy theories, why they're still and so popular, and the evidence that'south commonly used to support them.

What Exactly Exercise Moon Landing Conspiracy Theorists Believe?

Moon landing conspiracy theorists believe that the Apollo eleven mission was staged from beginning to finish and that no Us astronauts have ever stepped human foot on the moon. The evidence they cite is shaky at best — irregular shadows, the absenteeism of stars in photos taken on the moon, a lunar rock that looks like a prop, and footprints that shouldn't exist possible.

Despite the fact that this show tin easily be debunked by fact-checking and scientific principles, belief in the moon landing conspiracy has merely increased over time.

The Origins of Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories

Beak Kaysing, an employee of the aerospace visitor Rocketdyne, is considered the originator of moon landing conspiracy theories. Kaysing claimed that during his time with Rocketdyne, he had access to documents that discredited the possibility of a manned mission to the moon.

In 1976, Kaysing self-published a book titled "We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle." In it, Kaysing claims that all of NASA's missions to the moon betwixt 1969 and 1970 were really staged. The book was later picked up and republished in 2002 by Health Research Books.

Kaysing'south Arguments

In the book, Kaysing points to the absence of stars in photographs taken during the Moon landing as evidence that the photographs weren't actually taken on the Moon. Kaysing also questions the fact that the lunar module jets didn't create a visible crater when landing on the moon'southward surface.

His primary argument, however, centers effectually the engines used on the Apollo missions' spacecrafts. He claims that the F1 engines used to power the Saturn V rocket were unreliable. According to Kaysing, NASA hid the event by secretly installing several lower-powered engines in the Saturn V rockets instead.

The Kubrick Connection

One of the more outlandish beliefs held by moon landing hoax conspiracy theorists has to do with manager Stanley Kubrick (of all people). Conspiracy theorists believe that footage of the Apollo xi moon landing was filmed by Kubrick in a production studio in Huntsville, Alabama. They claim that Kubrick spent xvi months filming a fake moon landing later on coming together with NASA officials in 1968.

In 2016, Kubrick's girl released a statement strongly denying these claims, saying, "In that location are many, very real conspiracies that have happened throughout our history… but, claims that the moon landings were faked and filmed by my male parent? I only can't understand it!!?"

Why Is This Theory All the same so Popular?

While Kaysing'south claims take been solidly debunked, his ideas are still cited by moon landing conspiracy theorists today. In fact, the conspiracy has but grown in popularity since the 1970s. A 1999, Gallup poll revealed that half-dozen% of Americans doubted the legitimacy of the moon landing, just inquiry suggests that this percentage has increased in contempo years.

And so why is this theory so persistent — growing, in fact? The Washington Post contends that conspiracy theories have always been popular among those who have a desire to experience more "in the know" than others and who desire to understand the undercover workings of society. Additionally, many theorists accept turned to sites such equally YouTube, Facebook and Reddit to popularize their views.

Whoopi Goldberg and Marion Cotillard Have Doubts

Celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg and Marion Cotillard take expressed doubt that the moon landing really happened. On the 40th anniversary of the historic result, Whoopi Goldberg asked her co-hosts on "The View," "Why is the flag rippling? In that location'southward no air. Who shot the footage?"

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Cotillard asked rhetorically, "Did a man really walk on the moon?" and added: "I saw plenty of documentaries on it, and I really wondered. And in any case, I don't believe all they tell me, that's for sure."

Steph Curry Questions the Moon Landings

In 2018, Steph Curry appeared on a podcast hosted past NBA players Vince Carter and Kent Bazemore where he voiced skepticism about the moon landing. Curry commencement asked everyone, "We ever been to the moon?" before saying: "They're going to come get us. Sorry, I don't want to get-go conspiracies."

Curry afterwards apologized for his remarks after beingness invited by NASA to come visit the lunar lab at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Former U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly also reached out to Curry with a tweet that said: "Steph, so much respect for y'all, simply re the moon landing affair, let's talk. DM me."

The Evidence of a Staged Moon Landing

So how does the evidence stack upward? Although people who believe that the moon landing was staged ofttimes claim they have ample bear witness to testify it, the truth is, the vast majority of this evidence has been debunked.

From dangerous radiations and micrometeoroids to mismatched footprints and imitation rocks, let's review the prove used to support these conspiracy theories.

Radiation from the Van Allen Belts

A common argument that conspiracy theorists use to back up their position has to practice with the Van Allen radiations belts. These belts environs our Earth with a layer of radiation. Theorists claim it would be impossible for the astronauts to pass through the Van Allen belts without being striking by a lethal amount of radiations.

While NASA engineers were aware of the risks that the Van Allen belts posed, they knew that the actual level of radiations was nothing to be worried almost. In society for a person to be affected by exposure to radiation, the radiation level must exist between 200 and yard rads. The Apollo 11 astronauts were exposed to about 13 rads for less than two hours — virtually the same amount of radiation equally getting an 10-ray. Additionally, their spacecraft was highly insulated against radiation.

The American Flag

Another popular slice of evidence has to practise with the American flag that Armstrong and Aldrin "supposedly" planted on the moon. Conspiracy theorists indicate out that because there's no atmosphere on the moon, the flag wouldn't be able to sway or move in the wind, as information technology appears to do in photos.

Though frequently pointed to as proof that the whole issue was filmed on a ready, the real caption is much simpler. After planting the flag in the lunar soil, Aldrin and Armstrong inserted a piece of metallic into the seam of the flag'due south superlative border to requite the advent of wind. With close observation, the outline of the metal slice can be seen in photos from the moon landing.

Why Are There No Stars?

Another point of contention has to exercise with the fact that there are no visible stars in photos from the moon landing. If at that place'due south no temper on the moon to block the view, shouldn't the stars be even more brilliant than they appear from Earth?

The answer to this question may surprise you. Considering the landing took identify during a lunar sunrise, a great bargain of sunlight was reflecting off of the moon's surface. This fabricated it incommunicable for the camera to capture the relatively faint light from the stars. The same principle applies to photos taken from the International Infinite Station, which oft characteristic a starless sky.

Irregular Shadows on the Moon's Surface

Many moon landing hoax conspiracy theorists have pointed to strange shadows in photos equally testify that the scene was staged. If light is coming from one source (the sun), shouldn't all shadows autumn at the same angle?

In the photo to a higher place, shadows from the astronaut's leg and the moon lander are bandage in the same direction. However, at that place'due south another shadow bandage by the Moon lander stretching towards the astronaut. How is that possible?

While conspiracy theorists insist that this is bear witness of a 2nd light source, (such as studio product lighting), information technology's more than likely that the shadow is the result of the moon's uneven terrain and the low position of the dominicus over the horizon. In these conditions, uneven shadows are normal and expected.

What Most the Other Lighting Anomalies?

Still, conspiracy theorists point to other anomalies inside the photos to argue that the landing must have been staged. In some photos from the Apollo 11 mission, the astronauts appear to be lit from multiple angles.

NASA spokesperson James Hartsfield has responded to this claim in the by, saying, "On some pictures, astronauts are lit from more than one side because the sunlight is reflected off the lunar surface or off the landing vehicle."

Is that Rock a Prop?

Much has been fabricated by conspiracy theorists about a stone that appears to be labeled with the alphabetic character C. In picture production, props are often labeled with letters or numbers that correspond to where the prop should exist placed inside the scene. After seeing photos from the Apollo 16 mission in which a rock appeared to have the letter C on it, conspiracy theorists assumed that the photograph included a prop.

The problem with this assumption is that in other photos from the same mission (and in the original prototype), the letter C is absent. Considering these images were reproduced in the 1970s — earlier digital technology was bachelor — it'southward likely that the shape was caused past a speck of dust or hair caught in the copier when the paradigm was reproduced.

The Film Should Have Fried

In full sunlight, the moon'southward surface can achieve temperatures of up to 280 degrees Fahrenheit. Conspiracy theorists assert that there's no manner Aldrin and Armstrong would take been able to motion around the moon'southward surface in this high heat — let lonely take photographs. At that temperature, the moving-picture show in their cameras would have melted immediately.

While information technology'southward true that the moon can achieve extremely high temperatures during the day, the astronauts weren't on the surface during total lunar daylight. The Apollo missions were scheduled so that the astronauts reached the surface at either lunar dawn or dusk, when temperatures are much lower. Additionally, the film was ever stored in a protective canister and never exposed to sunlight.

Only Who Took the Photos?

Conspiracy theorists take argued that there'southward no way all the photos of the moon landing could have been taken by Aldrin and Armstrong. Who took the photos of Armstrong coming down the steps of the lunar module? Who took the photos of Armstrong and Aldrin together on the moon? (Selfie sticks weren't a affair dorsum and then.) What nigh the ones of the lunar module as it departed from the Moon's surface?

The answers to these questions are unproblematic. The image of Armstrong on the steps of the lunar module is actually a photograph of Aldrin, taken by Armstrong. Over the years, the figure in this photo has been misidentified equally Armstrong. The photo of the lunar module departing from the moon was taken by one of the many remote cameras left on the moon. The photo of Armstrong and Aldrin together was taken by the lunar module'southward camera.

Impossible Footprints

Many conspiracy theorists believe that information technology would have been incommunicable for the astronauts to get out footprints on the moon'south surface. While footprints are conspicuously visible in photos from the landing, a popular argument amid hoax theorists is that moisture is needed to produce a footprint. Because there's no h2o on the moon, in that location's no way their footprints should be visible.

This argument is really scientifically incorrect. The moon's crust is fabricated of a textile chosen regolith. Regolith is a mix of many different types of sediment of varying sizes, all sitting on a layer of solid bedrock. The regolith in the Sea of Tranquillity (where the landing occurred) has been ground into very fine particles. These particles are held together by the friction betwixt them, making footprints possible.

Wouldn't the Astronauts Exist Hitting by Micrometeorites?

Outer infinite is full of tiny, fast-moving particles chosen micrometeorites. These particles travel (on average) at a speed of 22,500 mph and can cause significant damage to anything in their path. Wouldn't information technology be impossible for a spacecraft to travel any significant altitude through space without existence hit by one of these deadly pieces of space dust? Wouldn't the astronauts be exposed to them while on the moon's surface?

While micrometeorites could pose a danger to astronauts, the truth is that infinite is too large for a…well, space, for flying particles to exist a real threat. Space.com reports, "The chance of whatsoever given cubic yard of space having a micrometeor passing through it is incredibly close to goose egg." Nevertheless, infinite shuttles are protected from these flying particles by a device called a "Whipple shield" and infinite suits are lined with kevlar to protect against micro particles.

The Moon Buggy Was Too Large

Starting with the Apollo 15 mission, astronauts were able to travel effectually the moon's surface using a lunar rover, colloquially called a "Moon Buggy." Astronauts Jim Irwin and Dave Scott used the Moon Buggy to collect geological samples, driving over 17.5 miles across the moon's surface. The Moon Buggy was used once again during the Apollo xvi and 17 missions. But…how did such a large vehicle fit into the lunar module? Moon landing hoax conspiracists argue that the Moon Buggy was far too beefy to be transported.

Surprise: The lunar rover was designed specifically to be transported to the moon. It was fabricated of incredibly low-cal materials and but weighed approximately 460 pounds. Once removed from a pocket-size compartment of the lunar module, the Moon Buggy was designed to unfold and assemble itself with near no help required from the astronauts.

Why Is There No Crater Below the Lunar Module?

Many moon landing conspiracy theorists presume that in that location should be a crater under the lunar module, a product of the force exerted past the thrusters as they lowered the module down to the surface. Surely the thrusters were powerful plenty to boom the sediment from the moon's surface out of the way as they approached, right?

NASA explains that, "Although the descent engine of the LM is powerful, most of its operation takes place thousands of feet higher up the moon during the early stages of the landing." They go on to explain that because the lunar surface is "relatively cohesive," merely a pocket-sized amount of dust is blown out of the mode when the module reaches the surface.

Proof of the Moon Landing

It can exist easy to get caught upwardly in the arguments supporting moon landing conspiracy theories. Perchance y'all recollect the evidence presented is compelling, and the counterarguments seem flimsy to y'all. However, information technology's important to retrieve that the bulk of evidence solidly supports that it did in fact happen. While many people believe that the landings were staged, there's much more than evidence to corroborate the moon landing than there is to dispute it.

There are multiple ways to authenticate that we've actually been to the moon, including photographic evidence, astronauts' footprints and moon rocks. Allow'due south take a expect at some of the hard bear witness that the moon landings did in fact happen.

Corroborating Images of the Apollo xv Landing Site

In 2008, the Nihon Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a lunar probe chosen SELENE as part of their KAGUYA mission. The goals of the lunar probe were to "obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and development and to develop the technology for time to come lunar exploration." SELENE took photos of the moon's topography and stitched them together to create a three-D visualization of the terrain.

The above 3-D visualization of the Apollo xv landing site clearly shows topography identical to the photos taken past the Apollo 15 astronauts in 1971. The fact that these two images conspicuously show the aforementioned expanse, despite being taken decades autonomously and by dissimilar countries, is compelling bear witness of the moon landings.

Visible Astronaut Footprints on the Moon's Surface

Cheers to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we can actually run across satellite photos of the Apollo landing sites. The Orbiter has been in a depression orbit effectually the moon since 2009, taking satellite images and collecting information virtually the moon's surface and surround.

In this satellite image from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (the Apollo fourteen landing site), the footprints of astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell are clearly visible. Shepard and Mitchell took two moonwalks during their visit. This image was achieved by lowering the orbit of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to just thirteen miles above the moon's surface.

We Can Also Run into Tracks From the Lunar Rover

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was also able to capture satellite images from other Apollo missions, including ones where the lunar rover was used. In the prototype below this paragraph of the Apollo xv landing site, tracks from the lunar rover are clearly visible to the correct of the Descent Phase.

The Apollo 15 mission was the showtime time the lunar rover was used. While exploring a mountain almost a landing site named Hadley Delta, the rover was put to the test on steep slopes with loose sediment. The Moon Buggy was amazingly developed in a short 17 months.

Scientific Equipment Is Stored on the Moon

When the astronauts left the moon'south surface, they didn't accept everything with them. Armstrong and Aldrin left over 100 items on the moon when they departed, including tools and a commemorative plaque that read, "we came in peace for all mankind."

In fact, the droppings left behind from astronauts is nonetheless visible. In the photo above yous tin can meet several items left behind by the Apollo 17 astronauts. Included in this satellite paradigm is the mission's ALSEP (a package of scientific instruments), the Challenger Descent Phase, the lunar rover, the lunar module's ladder and life support backpacks.

Astronauts Brought Habitation Moon Rocks

One of the more tangible pieces of proof that man walked the moon is in the geological samples brought back to Earth. Over 800 lbs of moon rocks have been brought back to World from the Apollo missions.

After the Apollo eleven mission, the U.South. gifted 135 countries with pieces of moon rock as a goodwill offering. The samples have been tested rigorously. Additionally, the moon rocks brought to Globe from the Apollo missions accept been tested against lunar material brought home by the Soviet Union's Luna space program.

Over ten,000 Photos Certificate the Trips

Also compelling is the sheer amount of photographic show nosotros have of the moon landings. NASA has released over 10,000 photos taken during the Apollo missions on their Flickr account.

The photos are sorted by roll of film, allowing the viewer to experience the Apollo missions through the eyes of the astronauts who were there. Each image is uploaded at a resolution of 1800 dpi. This treasure trove of images was released in 2016, allowing viewers to run across Apollo mission images in high definition for the starting time time.

Apollo Missions Were Tracked Around the World

Need more proof? How about the fact that the Apollo missions were tracked in real time by a number of organizations and individuals, many of which were not affiliated with NASA. The Apollo 11 mission was tracked by the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK as well as past Larry Baysinger, a radio operator in Kentucky.

Apollo 16 was sighted independently past researchers at the Washington State Academy Jewett Observatory. Additionally, Bochum Observatory in Germany recorded the transmissions from the astronauts while they were on the moon's surface.

Volition Moon Landing Conspiracies Ever Die?

Since Bill Kaysing'southward moon landing hoax theory emerged in 1976, the debate most irregular shadows, unreliable engines, radiations levels and micrometeoroids has persisted. Despite the bear witness stacked against them, it appears that moon landing hoax conspiracies are here to stay.

Yet have doubts about the moon landing? With the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, now is a great time to learn more about NASA's Apollo plan — and the hard work and decision that culminated in 1 of history's greatest achievements.

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