The United State’s moon landing of 1969 wasn’t questioned at the time largely because the masses were insulated in within what we now refer to as the “legacy media” bubble.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was working on the internet at the time, meaning everyday people were limited to the information filtered through TV, radio, and newspapers.
Fast forward to the late aughts and people far and wide began questioning whether the moon landing was real.
Social media and online forum participants entertained the uncomfortable idea that Neil Armstrong did not walk the surface of the moon.
Some conspiracy theorists even go as far as insinuating that Hollywood director Stanely Kubrick, famous for the epic science fiction flick 2001: A Space Odyssey, was commissioned by NASA and the CIA to film a fake moon landing.
Was the moon landing a hoax? Let’s find out.
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The Case for the Moon Landing Being Fake
Conspiracy theorists who insist the moon landing was a hoax point to the context of the era for supposed justification to fake a lunar mission.
The United States desperately wanted to win the space race against the Soviet Union.
The first of the two superpowers to reach the moon would notch a symbolic victory that boosted morale during the Cold War.
Some believe the United States federal government paid a professional camera crew and actors to film a fake moon landing in the rocky southwest terrain of the United States or even a Hollywood studio.
Moon landing conspiracy theorists obsess over the details of the Apollo mission photos, highlighting how those images do not have stars in the background.
Critical thinkers point out that at least a couple of stars should be visible from the moon because it is far away from Earth’s nebulous atmosphere and lingering pollution.
Continue digging and you’ll find conspiracy theorists argue that the photos of the landing reveal crosshairs that are partially obscured or even partially behind objects.
If such images were legitimate, the crosshairs would not be concealed by objects, meaning a NASA employee or government worker might have doctored the images to fool the highly nationalistic public of the time.
What About the Odd Shadows in the Moon Landing Pictures?
Others claim the moon landing images capture shadows that have different shades aside from the expected single hue of black.
If the lone source of moon illumination is the sun, it would make sense that the shadows in the images would be all-black as there wouldn’t be other sources of light to scatter for even a hint of a multicolored shadow.
The truth is the sun probably isn’t the lone source of light to reach the distant moon.
Physicists far and wide acknowledge that light from our planet has the potential to reach the surface of the moon and the moon’s dust also has the potential to reflect light.
Moreover, there is also the potential for light to reflect off astronauts’ spacesuits, causing shadows in the moon landing pictures to look slightly lighter than the single shade of dark black.
However, such arguments rest on mere potentials and conjecture as opposed to absolute scientific truths.
The Case for the Moon Landing Being Real
In response to the claims of doctored moon landing images, those on the other side of the debate insist the lunar mission took place during the day so the stars in the background could not possibly be visible when juxtaposed against the brightness of the moon itself.
Moreover, those who believed the moon landing was real address the photo crosshairs argument as laid out above by stating crosshairs become difficult to identify when snapshots are taken of illuminated objects.
Government officials and NASA employees have also addressed allegations that the letter “C” is written on a rock taken from the moon, shooting down the claim that such insignia indicates it is a prop from a Hollywood set.
Take a close look at the photos of the moon rock and you’ll find the claim that the letter “C” is written on the object is an exaggeration of the truth as there is only a faint resemblance to such a letter.
What about the claim that the American flag Neil Armstrong planted on the moon supposedly fluttered in the breeze?
The truth is the moon does not have significant wind and the flag was not actually fluttering but in the process of unfurling at the time the pictures were taken.
Physicists also point out that the moon’s gravity is weak to the point that it is incapable of unraveling the entirety of the flag after its planting on the surface.
As a result, the partially uncrumpled flag appears to be waving in the wind when it is motionless, with its natural creases creating the impression that it is flapping.
About Those Van Allen Belts
Spend enough time reading about science fiction and physics and you’ll eventually stumble on the mysterious high-energy doughnut-like belts surrounding our planet called Van Allen belts.
Some argue astronauts can’t survive passage through such belts as their high levels of radiation are potent enough to kill humans at the point of exposure.
The Apollo 11 crew had significant protection against Van Allen belt radiation consisting of spacecraft insulation in the form of a thick aluminum shell.
Moreover, NASA scientists went to the extent of carefully selecting a trajectory into space that reduced temporal exposure to the belts.
The Apollo radiation readings reveal the crew’s exposure was a mere 0.46 rad, meaning they experienced a negligible radiation absorbed dose.
It appears that NASA successfully shielded astronauts from potentially deadly radiation, subjecting them to the same level of exposure as those who work in the field of nuclear energy.
Moon Landing: Real or Fake?
If you still believe the moon landing was fake, be aware that you are in the minority: Roger Launius, the chief historian at NASA, states merely believe the Apollo lunar landing was a Hollywood production.
Critical thinkers and those with an allegiance to the truth tend to agree that the moon landing was real.
Agent Johnson is the enigmatic mind behind the twisted tales and shadowy secrets of Crime and Conspiracy. With a penchant for all things mysterious, Agent Johnson covers true crime cases, unsolved mysteries, and conspiracy theories. Despite his seemingly endless knowledge of covert operations and clandestine affairs, Agent Johnson is quick to assure you that he definitely, absolutely, positively has no ties to the government.
Regarding the Van Allen belts segment, it’s often misunderstood that these radiation belts are impassable. With the right shielding and a fast trajectory through the least intense parts, it’s fairly manageable. What’s Agent Johnson’s take on NASA’s approach here?
So does this mean humans can live in space without worry of radiation?
those moon landing shadows always looked off to me how come in some pics they go different ways gotta say makes you think right
People always want to know the unknown. Some things will always be a mystery some things can’t be explained and what’s understood ain’t gotta be explained. That’s all…