There shouldn’t be any questions about the moon landing’s authenticity. When the “Eagle” landed on the surface of the moon on July, 1969, the world was watching. While being one of the most significant moments in history (some will call it the greatest), it also became one the most documented events up to that point. Live TV coverage and audio recording captured the very moment the first two men took a giant leap for mankind on a distant world.
On top of that, other moon missions were made. In some cases, material from the moon was collected and brought back to Earth, thus adding more evidence to support this momentous moment.
Still, some people are apparently not convinced. In recent years, conspiracy groups have taken to the airwaves (ironically, some of the same form of media that verified the landing) to spout off on their delusional arguments that the moon landing was a hoax created by the government.
The Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy, as it has come to be known as, states that the whole moon landing event was actually created on a sound stage. The reasons vary. Some true believer claims it was created to hide the fact that the actual moon landing ended in failure. Other claims state it was done to cover-up proof of alien life on its surface.
Whatever the reasons may be, the hoax is classic conspiracy theory. It is made up of flimsy evidence, bizarre and unsubstantiated claims, and rabid believers who will stop at nothing to persuade the public. In this case, some have even taken it as far as confronting and chastising the astronauts who were part of the Apollo Space program (of course, one believer learned the hard way that this is not a good tactic, especially when confronting astronaut Buzz Aldrin).
Those believing in the moon-landing hoax often point to such evidence as a camera on the moon panning up to capture the lunar landing capsule launching into space or the American Flag seemingly flapping in the vacuum of space.
The camera is easily explained. It was remote controlled and didn’t require anyone standing behind it to do the operations. The “flapping flag” can be explained, as well. Astronomer and writer Phil Plait wrote that the flag was mounted on one side of the pole and had another pole running horizontally on top it.
“In a vacuum or not, when you whip around the vertical pole, the flag will ‘wave’,” he wrote, “Since it is attached at the top. The top will move first, and then the cloth will follow along in a wave that moves down. This isn’t air that is moving the flag, it’s the cloth itself.” (Carroll, 2012).
In other words, the flag only moved when it was being planted. The film shows that the flag didn’t move afterward unless one of the astronauts touched it.
Many believers claim that the moon landing was filmed in a studio. In this case, no credible evidence has ever been found to support this claim. Also, if this was true, it would have been a huge production involving thousands of people from the military, scientists, engineers, and astronauts. Also, such a hoax would include additional group of spectators watching the launch in Florida.
The evidence for is more than compelling. For one thing, NASA had launched several missions to the moon. The Apollo Mission, starting – in 1965 and officially ending in 1975 – would eventually place twelve people on the moon. There were additional mission in which the capsule carrying the astronauts orbited the moo; some before Apollo 11 mission, which resulted in the first landing on the moon. The last moon landing was in 1972.
As mentioned, samples were taken from the moon and returned to the earth. Also, the capsules that brought the astronauts’ home still exist. Finally, there’s the countless, photos, film footages, and audio recordings of the event.
Finally, in 2009, landing sites on the moon were photographed from space by satellites such as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is possibly one of the best evidence supporting the missions’ authenticity.
The Apollo Moon Landing is one of the most monumental achievements in human history. It’s something people can take pride in knowing they’ve overcame major boundaries to take the first steps toward reaching the stars. Fortunately, conspiracy theorists will never be able to dilute this accomplishment that made it possible.
