The Moon Landing is FAKE!

UPDATED 19 APRIL 2020

Credit: NASA, Neil Armstrong working on storage equipment 

In 1969, man journeyed to the moon. Or so the story goes. Today, many people claim the whole mission was a hoax. As a matter of fact, a 1999 Gallup poll boasts a startling 6% of Americans who agree to this conspiracy. According to the theory, the motive is obvious: America wanted to beat the Russians in the Space Race.

So is this theory true? Are these conspiracy theorists onto something? Let’s dig deeper into this mystery to find out the truth.

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning how this bizarre theory originated. In 1976, Bill Kaysing

self-published a book titled We Never Went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle. In his work, he claims the chance of successfully landing on the moon was calculated as 0.0017%, making it near impossible to get there. Okay, that’s fair I suppose, but where did he get that number? If you’re as curious as I was, see where he got it here.

So according to conspiracy theorists, how did we fake the moon landing? Simple! We set up a studio, somewhere in Hollywood or maybe Area 51, and filmed Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins acting.

You’re probably wondering what evidence they have to support this claim. Their evidence and claims are listed below:

THE WAVING FLAG

Soerfm (Wikipedia), "Buzz Salutes the U.S. Flag-Crop" NASA

Buzz Aldrin planted a flag in the ground, which appeared to wave as if being blown by wind. Theorists argue the vacuum of space makes this impossible.

FACT CHECK: The flag only appeared to wave as it was being positioned on the lunar surface. Because there is no air resistance on the moon, the flag had more inertia, and the corner continued to swing for a little while. As of for the crinkle, in order to make the flag extend outward, it was composed of a telescope rod attached to a seam at the top. However, the wrong coating was added to the rod, and it would not expand all the way. The result is the “waving” flag you see.

THE SPACE RACE

CCCP, "Flag of the Soviet Union" (cropped)

This entire conspiracy is rooted in one obvious fact: America wanted to win the Space Race. To make our dreams a reality, we did what anybody would do: we faked it till we maked it, son. We staged Apollo 11.

FACT CHECK: You must remember, the Soviets wanted to win the Space Race too. They didn’t just turn a blind eye to America during this time; and it’s almost certain they were spying on this mission. If they had discovered we were faking the whole thing, they would have cried foul. Proving the United States had lied would have been an enormous propaganda victory for Russia.

But hold on! As Conspiracist Bart Sibrel argued upon hearing this point, "the Soviets did not have the capability to track deep space craft until late in 1972, immediately after which, the last three Apollo missions were abruptly canceled."

WRONG AGAIN: Let's fact check this conspiracist's claims, shall we? In 1962, the Soviets acquired deep space tracking capabilities through the new facilities at IP-15 in Ussuriisk and IP-16 in Evpatoria. In addition, the Soviet Union was tracking Apollo 11 at the Space Transmissions Corps. Oh, and the “abruptly canceled” missions? They were announced to be canceled back in 1970 because the Vietnam War caused NASA’s funding to be cut.

FILMED IN SECRET

NASA, "Crew During Training Exersize" 4/22/1969

According to many conspiracy theorists, Apollo 11 was filmed using slow-motion photography and harnesses in the middle of a desert or on a secret set.

FACT CHECK: The movies “Apollo 13” and “From the Earth to the Moon” were filmed using special photography and equipment. There is one key difference between the moon in these movies and the actual footage of Apollo 11. In the movies, when moon dust was kicked up, it settled in the air and formed dust clouds. In the footage from the moon landings, dust that was kicked up quickly settled back on the ground, since there was no air to sustain it. Also, the kicked up dust flew pretty high, because gravity is so much less on the moon. If the mission had been filmed on Earth, there is no way the dust would have reached such heights.

NO LUNAR MODULE PRINTS?

NSSDCA - NASA, "Apollo 11 Lunar Module / EA SEP" 6/5/2018

If the astronauts’ footprints can clearly be seen on the moon’s surface, where are the prints of the 17 ton lunar module? If I can’t see them, they must not be there, therefore the moon landing was faked.

FACT CHECK: The lunar module may have weighed 17 tons on Earth, but after the long journey to the moon spent using oxidizer and fuel, the moon only weighed approximately 2,698 pounds. “Hold on,” you say. “That’s still super heavy.” Well, yes, it is. But the print size an object makes on the moon does not depend on mass. It depends on pressure (force per unit area). Interestingly, the bearing pressure of the lunar module was similar to the bearing pressure of the astronauts’ boots. If you could somehow move the lunar module out of the way, you’d find prints about as deep as the ones the astronauts left behind.

CONCLUSION

 There is a lot I did not cover in this article, but the answers are out there. Third party evidence including independent parties tracking the mission, moon rocks, and retroreflectors further strengthen the fact that this landing did happen. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed on the moon.

For further amusement, watch Buzz Aldrin punch the conspiracy theorist, Bart Sibrel, after he accused Aldrin of being “a coward, and a liar.”

guidanceofficer.tumblr.com - Buzz Aldrin punches conspiracy theorist, Bart Sibrel in the face 7/16/2017