Another well known conspiracy theory is that the moon landing is fake and that the landing video was created in a controlled environment. Nothing can be more false than this. When we can reach mars with our spaceships Moon is nothing. Astronauts and cosmonauts stay in international space station for days or even months. So yes moon landing by Neil Armstrong is true.
In 1969, one of the greatest attainments of mankind in the world had happened. The Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that launched successfully to the moon with the 12 members crew including commander Neil Armstrong. The first step on the moon was broadcasted live to the people for witnessing the goosebump moments. After more than 8 days in the space, they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. Although knowing all these facts, many conspiracy theorists believed that it was a hoax. Conspiracy theorists acquired the interest of people for almost 40 years with the same topic “ The moon landing was fake”. By their continuous activities and promoting the fake theory, they made almost half of the world population believe this theory. As an outbreak many films, series, polls and documentaries were created to make people believe this theory. Here we provide you with a list of conspiracy theories and the reason why so many people still think that landing on the moon was faked.
Conspiracy Theory – US lacked technical power:
Fact: No, it is not true
The former Navy Officer Bill Kaysing who contributed to the US space programme was the first one to promote all the conspiracy theories. He even published a pamphlet in 1976, stating that “ We never went to the Moon”. Even though many seem to accept this theory that it was always behind the USSR in space research, within a few years it exceeded every other country. His theory was debunked by multiple evidence and by the continuous success in launching satellites.
Conspiracy Theory – The moon landing is fake because the flags were flapping:
Fact: No, it isn’t
Conspiracy theorists claimed that the surface is not the moon. Flapping flags were the main reason for the initiation of almost all the conspiracy theories. When taking a look at the pictures, it appears to be flapping by the wind. How can it flap when there is no wind on the moon? NASA debunked this theory claiming that the flag was rippled and bent in such a shape, which was then appears to be flapping when they rotate it back and forth to dig deeper in the lunar surface.
Conspiracy Theory – NASA landing was faked to win the space race:
Fact: No, it isn’t true
As we know there is still a space race between NASA and other countries, Yet NASA surpasses every other country. During that time, the USSR was the first one stepping milestones in everything from sending the first artificial satellite in orbit and in sending the first living creature. Later it was dominated by NASA by continuous successful achievements in space. As some conspiracy theorists couldn’t accept the happening, they came up with numerous theories that it was all a hoax. To present you with the evidence that shows that Apollo 11 landed on the moon, they had shown that retroreflectors are still on the moon. Even though it was not identified before 1971, it was still there with its protective cover.
Conspiracy Theory – Moon landing is fake because the shadows are clear:
Fact: No, it is not true
Some conspiracy theorists claimed that the shadows cannot be seen on the moon, but many claim that artificial lights are used to capture the picture. As the surface of the moon is irregular or bumpy, they accused that it was impossible to get a clear picture just with the reflection of the sun. It was banished by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin that many pictures were not sent to the public as it is not clear and it was not an hollywood setting.
Conspiracy Theory – Lunar meteorites were used as a fake moon rocks:
Fact: No, it isn’t true
Conspiracy theorists argued that the 380 kg of moon rocks are fake. They claimed that at least 200 robots would have been needed to collect the moon rock sample they have provided. As many conspiracy theorists claimed that the moon landing was a hoax, they also came up with the idea that it may be brought from Antarctica by Werner von Braun in 1967. However, this theory was debunked that the moon rocks were collected by six crewed missions by the Apollo program after analysed by the scientists all over the world. The real amount of lunar material brought to earth was found to be 21.5 kg.
Conspiracy Theory – Journey to the moon was impossible:
Fact: No, it isn’t
Some people are not aware of the improvising technologies in NASA and doubted its potential. While some don’t believe in the space shuttle and possibility of a mission to the moon. They claimed that the earth was surrounded by the Van allen belts and cannot pass through it without multiple dosage of radiation. Even though the presence of these belts were found to be true, the Apollo 11 crew was well insulated and were only there for less than two hours with an estimated amount of 18 rads, which was comparable to the X-ray.
Conspiracy Theory – Footprints cannot be engraved on the moon:
Fact: No, it is not true
Conspiracy theorists believed that the footprints cannot be imprinted on the moon, while some claimed that it cannot see the footprints after years. Researchers said that the footprints can be punched on the lunar surface and the reason for the presence of the footprint was, there is no wind, rain and other surface activities. This theory was banished with the evidence by the photographs taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which has been in orbit since 2009.
Conspiracy Theory – Landing were faked as there are no stars in the background:
Fact: No, it is not true
Even if the eyes can witness the stars, it is impossible for the camera to catch the beautiful sight. Scientists claimed that the stars are not seen because there are stars in the lunar sky and the picture was taken in the daylight exposures. Now it is convincing right? As we know this is the easy theory that anyone can debunk when they know the basics in photography.
Conspiracy Theory – Walt Disney helped in faking the landing:
Fact: No, they didn’t
The main reason to put forward the theory is that the pictures have crosshairs, similar background and for providing high quality pictures. Some conspiracy theorists believed that it was a made up story filmed with high precision with the help of Walt Disney sponsorship. Yet it was also one of the fake theories that was debunked by NASA. No one would do such a thing for entertainment which affects the reputation of the country.
Conspiracy Theory – The moon landings were filmed in the dessert:
Fact: No, it is not true
As the conspiracy theorists assumed that the moon landing was fake, they come with the idea that it was filmed in the remote desert or by using slow motion photography. This is just an act of shame to their mass victory. The Apollo 11 was the great step towards the future, it was completed after several failures, costing more than million dollars. How can conspiracy theorists and the people can come with some baseless theory that it was just a make up by NASA.
Conspiracy Theory – Stanley Kubrick produced the footages of Apollo 11:
Fact: No, he didn’t
Since some conspiracy theorists believed that it was fake, they claimed that it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, who is well versed in pioneering space. Theorists came to this conclusion because of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The movie wowed the audience with a clear and realistic image of outer space in 1968. Thus many believed that he was hired by the government to direct the footage. This theory was debunked by a list of evidence to dispute these claims.
Conspiracy Theory – The Moon landings were filmed in Area 51:
Fact: No, it is not true
Another crazy theory was that the footage of the moon landing was taken in the area 51. This is believed by some people due to the isolation it can provide. Area 51 is surrounded by conspiracies, now adding another to it without any evidence. Since the conspiracy theorists are experts in mixing everything together to just get attention, they came up with this theory. As many other theories, this theory was also debunked.
Conspiracy Theory – The moon landing is fake as Amstrong camera is invisible:
Fact: No, it is not true
In some of the pictures, we can clearly witness the presence of Armstrong reflected in Aldrin’s visor. Conspiracy theorists claimed that he was not holding a camera in that reflection and thus it was a fake. As conspiracy theorists should take in consideration that the technology was so high to use the camera which can be mounted in the suit, this theory can be debunked with mere explanation.
NASA gave an answer to break all the theories in June 1977. They released a fact sheet that US astronauts landed on the moon. An estimated amount of almost 400,000 people worked in NASA providing more solid evidence. Despite all the evidence, conspiracy theorists questioned the landing on the moon.
Although, being debunked numerous times, the theory continues to gain more attention from the media through different mediums. I hope this generation should be aware of the truth and be proud of one of the greatest achievements.
