On 20th of July, 1969,
Apollo astronaut, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon.
Although the entire world was celebrating this historical moment, something
didn’t seem right. The American flag appeared to be waving, without the
presence of any wind. How was this possible? There were suspicious shadows seen
throughout the footage of the landing (Dunbar). This knowledge spread quickly
across many platforms and the suspicion that the legendary moon landing could
have been a faked simulation took root. What is the real truth? Was the moon
landing real or was it faked in a desperate attempt to beat the Russians? Let’s
take a look at the evidence to find out.
On July 20th,
1969, Neil Armstrong, along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched off
on the Apollo 11 (Cornwell). While Collins stayed in orbit, Aldrin and
Armstrong landed on the moon for the first time ever in human history. As
he took these legendary steps, he uttered the words “one small step for [a]
man, one giant leap for mankind” (Neil Armstrong). His words portrayed his key values. He chose
to express his words thoroughly in a way that gave credit to “mankind” rather
than to a nation. Armstrong “was an
inspiration to an entire generation” stated Tom Jones, a former astronaut
(Cornwell). Suddenly, his words
made this phenomenon an accomplishment for people all over the world, not just
the United States.
Starting at a young age, Armstrong knew he wanted to fly.
As a child, he would spend his free time making model planes. At the age of 15,
he accomplished something that a normal teenager could not; he was licensed as
a pilot. He continued to follow his passion and study aeronautical engineering
under United States Navy Scholarship. In 1951, Armstrong got assigned to the
Korean War, where he flew 121 hours total and earned three Air Medals, and multiple other achievements (Neil
Armstrong). Even then Armstrong’s excellence showed no lacking, he was an
ambitious young man. He believed in challenging himself
and reaching one’s highest potential. He believed in “going to the moon because
it is in the nature of the human being[s] to face challenges” (Sethi). During
an interview, a reporter inquired Armstrong about his most fulfilling
experience of life, he answered by saying “the most fulfilling memories are
associated with the people you work with, particularly those who made a
difference and made the improbable possible” (Hartman). He was a humble man who
took pride not only in his legacy but pride in the people who made it possible.
He was one who had to overcome many obstacles to reach the path he came to be
on.
Armstrong, just like anyone, suffered a great deal of
pain throughout his life. He was not untouchable, although it may seem like
that is the case. His daughter was only two years old when she passed away from
a brain tumor in 1962. For a while Armstrong remained to himself, overwhelmed
with the grief of his daughter (Tweedie). Through the years he learned to
channel this grief and negative energy into something productive to keep his
mind off her. He worked non-stop, while the other astronauts praised themselves
for their adventure to the moon. Even during the times that he felt like giving
up on the world, he continued to grow and to accomplish numerous achievements.
This actively illustrates that Armstrong was not a weak minded individual. He
was able to put aside his dreadful situation and focus on the work that needed
to be done.
Armstrong remained indifferent to the glory
and fame that came along with his success. He never thought too highly of his
legacy. One of his colleagues, Jim Rogers said, “all of us knew it was the 25th anniversary [of the
moon landing], we were waiting for him to bring it up.” Armstrong never brought
any of his tremendous achievements up unnecessarily (Tweedie). Armstrong tended
to keep to himself as much as possible. He was almost six-foot-tall, a
freakishly large brunette. People close to him described him as a person who is
“quiet and deliberate” and “sometimes it was difficult to carry a conversation
with him because his mind was off someplace
else” (Tweedie). Even though he was a quiet man, he was also compelling when he
needed to be.
Among the greatest qualities,
Neil Armstrong possessed was his leadership skills. He guided his companions
and led the way not once but on several different occasions. Every time he
stepped out into the field, he was aware of the risks he was taking, yet he was
not discouraged. His leadership roles
showed no lack of courage. “As the first man on the Moon, he broke all records…
He was a man who had all the courage in the world,” stated Sir Patrick Moore, an astronomer (Cornwell). During the
Gemini mission, the capsule began spinning out of control. “[Armstrong’s] quick
thinking led him to turn off the entire OAMS (The Orbit Attitude and
Maneuvering System) … thrusters on the nose of the spacecraft to regain command
of Gemini VIII and stop the spin” (Granath). Armstrong made an emergency splashdown saving two of his colleague's lives, proving to the world again
how great of a leader he was.
Ultimately,
Neil Armstrong went through many
challenging events in life, however, he was able
to overcome these difficulties and reach his destination successfully. He was
able to actively think on the spot under pressure in a time of despair, proving
furthermore to the world that obstacles can be overcome with great determination. From a person who had nothing, he became a man who the world
looked upon with admiration in their eyes, and is able to live off that legacy
even after his death.
When
NASA first released the news of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing, the entire
country united in celebration. The timing seemed odd since the space race
against the Soviet Union was at its peak. Nevertheless, people of America
rejoiced in the great achievement. Soon after the feat, small percent of the
population expressed their concerns and doubts about whether the moon landing
was real or not. These concerns were adopted by more and more as evidence was
laid out to prove that the moon landing indeed may be simulated in a studio
somewhere (Gabbatiss). The theory that the moon landing could have all been a
hoax gained traction over the years as resources and new evidence became
readily available.
The
primary and most frequently heard conspiracy theory of the moon landing is
about the waving flag. In every photograph of the moon landing, a waving flag
is clearly visible. The conspiracy theorists asked the simple question how it
is possible for a flag to wave if there is no wind (see fig. 1). The conspiracy
theorists state that the flag is waving due to a “breeze on the set where the
hoax was filmed” (The Great Moon Landing Hoax). This theory is a plausible one
due to the moon’s atmosphere being a vacuum. A vacuum atmosphere is one that is
devoid of any matter. The counterargument for this theory is that the
astronauts were struggling to plant the flag into the rough floor of the moon.
This caused the cloth to fluctuate and stay this way through the entirety of
the mission. There is no wind to smooth out these wrinkles and so it stayed
this way, giving it an appearance that resembled a flutter (Davis). According
to the pictures taken by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration),
the flag is not moving at all, instead it is manipulated in a still position.
To add to the theory that the moon
landing was simulated in a studio, there is a rock in in one of the pictures
taken by NASA that was not supposed to be there (see fig. 2). The camera picked
up the rock which seemed to have a letter C engraved on it. According to Scott Davis, the rock was a prop
that was either not meant to be there or was not hidden well enough into the
scene. In the film industry, props are numbered or lettered to help artists
place them in the appropriate locations each time. There is no reason the
letter C should appear on the rock as it was seen in the photographs of the
moon landing. The counterargument for this conspiracy theory is that is must
have been an astronaut’s eyelash or body hair caught in the lens of the camera
(Davis). The hair must have been curved like the letter C, and it is not
actually on the rock but instead on the lens of the camera (Byrd). Another
counter theory is that the C like particle was not in the picture at all but
instead it was a foreign particle that got stuck there while copying the image.
The letter C can only be found in one picture of the series of pictures taken
by NASA. The picture that were taken before fig. 2 shows no markings of a
letter C and the rock is shown in the same exact position (see fig. 3) This
shows to show that the C could have been a piece of string or hair that
interfered with the copy machine and accidentally imprinted on the image.
Furthermore, the unusual shadows in
relation to the surface of the moon is another factor that convinced part of
the population that the moon landing was staged. According to National Space
Center if the same shadows were to appear on earth, there would be nothing
peculiar about it, since earth has many light sources. But, the only light
source on the moon is the sun therefore the shadows should only point in one
direction instead of multiple directions (Davis). In the photographs of the
mission, one shadow is facing away from the astronaut, while another shadow
facing towards the astronaut. These multi directional aspects of the shadows are
explained by an environment where multiple light sources are available, such as
a studio room (Davis). The portion of the population that believes that the
moon landings were real explains these shadows as a result of the moon’s rough
surface (Svoboda). Another argument is that the astronauts’ equipment emitted
some form of light when capturing these images. According to How Do We Know the Moon Landing Really Happened
by Scott Davis, “the combination of the moon’s rough surface and the long
shadows from a sun low in the sky can easily create complicated shadows.”
Although both explanations are rational, there is no way to overrule one over
the other until further proof is gathered.
According to the Museum of Unnatural
History, another reason for some to claim that that moon landing is a hoax is
the Van Allen Belts surrounding the earth. To reach the moon, a space shuttle
must travel through the Van Allen Belts inevitably exposing the astronauts to
radiation, which at large doses can be fatal. The reasoning for the lack of
radiation damage in the astronauts can be explained using the speed of the
capsule, and metal hull of the capsule acting as protection (Davis). It is
stated that the speed of the capsule made it possible for the astronauts to
cross the Van Allen Belts in a few hours, minimizing exposure to radiation. The
metal hull of the capsule also acted as shield to minimize the radiation
damage.
Ultimately speaking, it is
impossible to tell if the moon landing was a hoax or not. The evidence for and
against it have biased opinions. For example, the waving flag is used as proof
for the landing being hoax since there is no wind on the atmosphere of the
moon. At the same time, the flag is not actually seen moving in the videos, but
instead staying still in a waving position. Every theory that questions the
legitimacy of the moon landing have been opposed with scientific evidence, thus
proving the legitimacy of the moon landing. A survey of 106 people revealed
that only 7% of believe the moon landing to have been faked. The other 93%
trust the integrity of NASA and its accomplishments. As technology has
increased, it is hard to tell the real from the fake. Considering the time
period and the technological resources available during the time, the
probability that the moon landing was fake is slim. Therefore, all evidence and
arguments are in favor of the moon landing being legitimate.
By the 1960’s the
Space Race between the Unites States and the Soviet Union was at its peak and
tensions were heightened (The Space Race). When the United States landed their
first man on the moon, under the suspicious timing, critics were not hesitant
to call out the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the
legitimacy of the mission. What was the truth? There are two theories:
1. The
moon landing was legitimate. The United States government and NASA successfully
took people to the moon.
2. The
moon landing was a hoax. It was faked in a desperate attempt to beat the
Russians
Even
in the face of all the technological advances we have made today, approximately
7% of the American population still refuse to acknowledge that the moon landing
was real. Most of the evidence and arguments point to the moon landing being
real.
Works Cited
Byrd,
Deborah. “Apollo and the Moon-Landing Hoax.” Earth Sky, 20 July 2018,
earthsky.org/space/Apollo-and-the-moon-landing-hoax.
Dunbar, Brian. “July 20, 1969: One
Giant Leap For Mankind.” NASA, NASA, 19 Feb. 2015,
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html.
Granath, Bob. “Gemini's
First Docking Turns to Wild Ride in Orbit.” NASA, NASA, 26 Feb. 2016,
www.nasa.gov/feature/geminis-first-docking-turns-to-wild-ride-in-orbit.
Hartman, David. “Neil
Armstrong Looks Back on His Life in the Military and NASA.” United Service
Organizations, 28 Nov. 2010,
www.uso.org/stories/1913-neil-armstrong-looks-back-on-his-life-in-the-military-and-nasa.
Josh Gabbatiss Science
Correspondent @josh_gabbatiss. “Scientists Discover the Reason People Believe
in Conspiracy Theories.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and
Media, 20 Aug. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/science/conspiracy-theories-creationism-psychology-911-moon-landing-fake-a8499511.html.
NASA History Office, and NASA JSC
Media Services Center. “Apollo 11 Image Gallery.” NASA, NASA,
history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/apollo.html.
“Neil Armstrong.” Biography.com,
A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017,
www.biography.com/people/neil-armstrong-9188943.
Rupert Cornwell @IndyVoices. “Neil Armstrong: 'One of the
Greatest American Heroes of All Time'.” The Independent, Independent
Digital News and Media, 25 Aug. 2012,
www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/neil-armstrong-one-of-the-greatest-american-heroes-of-all-time-8081425.html.
Sethi, Jappreet. “Neil Armstrong - 5 Lessons From His
Life | HR Blog.” Human Resources Blog | Top HR Blog, 3 Aug. 2017, humanresourcesblog.in/2012/08/26/neil-armstrong-5-lessons-from-his-life/.
Svoboda,
Elizabeth. “Why Do People Believe the Moon Landing Hoax or Other Conspiracy
Theories?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 July 2018,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/07/20/why-do-people-believe-the-moon-landing-hoax-or-other-conspiracy-theories/?utm_term=.d55eac3b323a.
“The Great
Moon Landing Hoax.” The UnMuseum - The Great Moon Hoax, 2003,
www.unmuseum.org/moonhoax.htm.
“The Space
Race.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/space-race.
Tweedie, Neil. “Why Neil
Armstrong Remains an Elusive Hero.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media
Group, 9 July 2009, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5780287/Why-Neil-Armstrong-remains-an-elusive-hero.html.
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