Believe it or not, a small percentage of the American public is certain mankind has never set foot on the moon. Several conspiracy theories have been circulating throughout American society nationwide since the early 1970s. There are several types of theories, each with its own, unique elements.
Many Americans, much like one of my great uncles, believe in a “complete hoax.” They believe the entire Apollo moon landing was faked and actually filmed in a Hollywood studio. One year after the first moon landing, Knight Newspapers conducted a poll of 1,721 Americans and found that over thirty percent of those polled were, “suspicious of NASA’s trips to the moon.” Several scientists of the seventies, and even modern scientists of today, believe the technology of the time period was not advanced enough for man to journey to space. In addition, they also believe several elements, including radiation belts, solar wind, and cosmic rays would have made such a trip impossible.
Other conspiracy theories include a “partial hoax” theory. Subscribers of this theory essentially believe man only made it halfway to the moon and faked the orbit and landing with the use of trick photography. Some Americans believe there were “manned landings, but with cover-ups.” This theory seems even more fanciful than the others. William Brian, a noted author and nuclear engineer who investigated conspiracy theories during the seventies, believed astronauts may have used a “secret zero gravity device,” recovered from a “captured extraterrestrial ship.” However, he believes NASA covered up these facts in order to maintain secrecy about discovering an alien vessel. Still others believe the astronauts did in fact land on the moon, but the photography quality of their pictures was so poor and blurry, they faked a landing once they returned to Earth, in order to satisfy the American public.
Whether the original NASA landing was indeed a hoax or real, one should take into account several observations made by viewers of the landing. In the original footage of Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag, the flag itself does not wave or flutter until Aldrin touches it. And when it does, it swings almost like a pendulum. However, why would astronauts feel a need to fake the flutter or wave of the flag, when there is actually no wind on the moon? In response to this argument, NASA argued that flag was fluttering because of the “intense air-conditioning units used to cool the astronauts within their spacesuits.”
In addition to this, there are no stars in the sky in any of the amazingly high quality photos taken. In a post-landing press conference, all astronauts of the Apollo 11 crew claimed to have not remembered seeing any stars. Many Americans claim that in several photographs and footage, there are “hot spots” on the surface of the moon that resemble the glow given off by giant movie spotlights. There was no blast crater on the surface of the moon from the landing or taking off of Apollo. Scientists and engineers agree there should have been a crater resulting from the thruster burst. Finally, NASA admitted in 1969 that the surface temperature of the moon was 200 degrees below zero. Many theorists today believe the technology of 1969 was not near advanced enough to counteract this.
There are several other theories and a plethora of data available online to contribute to or defend man’s landing on the moon. Whether you are a believer or not, be certain to exercise your powers of observation when analyzing issues such as these. Consider the political ramifications of faking such a historical event. As of 1999, six percent of the American population still believes Apollo astronauts never walked on the moon.
Reference:
- Knight Newspapers
