Did We Land on the Moon?

Some people say we landed on the moon in 1969 and some - as many as 20% of people - say it was staged. Most of the “proofs” that the moon landing was a fake have been officially debunked; but, some people still don’t believe it.

The first object to land on the moon was the Soviet Union’s Luna 2 spacecraft. The first manned spacecraft to land on the moon was the United States’s Apollo 11. It landed on July 20, 1969. 

Conspiracy Theories

Following are some of the proofs that we did not land on the moon, followed by the official explanation.

• The case of the fluttering flag states that a flag could not flutter where there is no wind. Explanation: In the video of the moon landing, an astronaut is wiggling the pole to make it appear that it is waving. If you look closely, it does not move the way flags move on Earth. Also, the flag had a pole at the top as well as a pole on the side, so if the pole at the top was not fully extended, then it would appear to have ripples in it.
• The sky is not full of stars, which is puzzling to some people. Explanation: The stars are too faint to be seen. Photographs on the moon had to have a fast exposure, so there was not time for the dim stars to be picked up. The astronauts could have increased exposure time, but they were not there to take star pictures.
• Some say the Apollo went into orbit, but never reached the moon. Explanation: Since orbiting spacecraft are easy to see with the naked eye, the Apollo would have been seen. Some people track space objects as a hobby. Besides, the Russians tracked the Apollo very closely.

• There is doubt about the footprints because there is no moisture on the moon, but a footprint was made. Explanation: This is easy to explain. The moon is covered with silica, not sand. Sand is basically round particles, whereas silica has sharp edges. Silica particles stick together easily and that is how the footprint was made.

Hoax supporters say that the only way to prove it, would be to go back and see the equipment left there. Laser reflectors were left on the moon and are used to measure the distance between the Earth and the moon. Lasers are fired at them routinely from observatories and data is collected.

Reason for the Controversy

Some say NASA faked the moon landing just to beat the Russians and achieve Kennedy’s goal to reach the moon.

Yes, we were in a race with the Soviets; but, if a hoax was proved, it would have been devastating to NASA and the space program.

Focus Points of the Controversy

Conspiracy theorists continue to provide several situations as proof that the landing was staged:

• In photographs some shadows are black and others very light. Explanation: The lunar surface is a great reflector, and some objects were under two shadows, therefore appearing darker. Also, dark rocks would not reflect as well as the astronauts white suit.

• Shadows are not parallel because that could show two light sources. Explanation: It is all a matter of perspective, like railroad tracks appearing to touch in the distance. Besides, if there were two lights, the astronauts would have two shadows.

• The video shot on the moon was a ploy to cover up the fact that it was faked. Explanation: The video was sent directly to Earth and this reduced the amount of bandwidth that could be used. Later, antennae were installed and future pictures were much clearer.

• If Armstrong was the first man on the moon, who took the video of him coming down the ladder? Explanation: The television camera was mounted where it could tape him. He pulled a lanyard to allow it to do this. When it was ready, Buzz Aldrin activated it from the cabin. Later it was placed on a tripod to record the rest of the activity there.

The hoax has yet to be proven. No one has come out and said they were involved in a cover-up. Also, the Soviets were tracking all of our activity closely and did not report any feelings that the activities did not happen as published.