This July 21 will be the 53rd anniversary of when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon (02.56 AM GMT). Since then 10 others walked on the moon between 1969 and 1972. However, many people still believe that it was the biggest hoax ever set in motion by the United States government.
With Artemis 1 undergoing wet dress rehearsal ahead of her launch planned for August 2022, and NASA planning to return humans to the moon by 2024, it’s hard to believe that some people still see the moon landings as a con.
What are the theories? How can we debunk them?
Over the last 50 years, people have come up with all sorts of ideas to prove that mankind did not walk on the moon. Sorry to disappoint you if you take part in those conspiracy theories because, for all of them, there is a logical explanation.
There are no stars in any of the photos
That one is often said. When you look closely at the pictures taken by the astronauts during the moon landings you can in fact not see stars. However, there is a plausible answer to that question. Simply put, it is the same as on earth. During the daytime you can’t see the stars outside.
All the moon landings happened during lunar daytime. Therefore the stars were outshone by the sun. The cameras couldn’t pick up the small light of the stars behind the astronauts. While it might not appear that way, the surface of the moon was bathed in sunlight.
Who filmed Neil Armstrong?
It might look as if Neil Armstrong is being filmed from a normal camera, as some of the conspiracy theories would suggest. However, there were cameras fitted on the Lunar module. Furthermore, while descending from the lunar module, Armstrong unpacked cameras that transmitted the live feed back to earth.
But the quality is so bad! Remember, it was 1969. And the main accomplishment was Armstrong walking on the moon, not the quality of the video.
The flag placed on the surface of the moon fluttered despite there being no wind on the moon
Many people think they saw the flag planted on the moon flutter, as if someone had a wind machine because it was all filmed in a studio. There is in fact no wind on the moon: it’s a vacuum. Therefore the flag couldn’t flutter.
Something you might not know is that the flag was fastened to an Г shaped rod so that it did not hang down. The flag looks rippled because of the way it was folded during storage.
The flag definitely did not move.
They used sound stage and used slow motion photography to make look like they were on the moon
During the Apollo 15 mission, Astronaut David Scott did an experiment to prove that they were on a vacuum. He dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. Both fell at the same time, and hit the ground at the same time. They were indeed in a vacuum.
In one experiment, they proved Galileo correct and proved they were in a vacuum on the moon.
There is no blast crater under the Lunar Module
That is because no crater should be expected under the LM! It’s all about the science. The Lunar Module, often referred to as LM, was no longer decelerating quickly. Therefore the descent engine only had to support its own weight which was lessened by the moon’s gentle gravity.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Despite having enough evidence to debunk all these conspiracy theories, maybe the photos taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter might change your mind.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO was launched in June 2009. The LRO, whilst taking pictures of the lunar surface, also takes pictures of the Apollo landing sites.
On the picture you can see the the descent stage Antares from Apollo 14. In other photographs taken by the LRO you can see the descent stages of most Apollo missions. Famously you can see Challenger, from Apollo 17, the last mission to the moon.
As of 2019, the LRO has enough fuel to continue its operations for another seven years. It is still orbiting the moon and will be used to identify sites for future moon landings.
If that doesn’t prove humans walked on the moon, what will? Maybe Artemis 2 will. Only two years to go.