Landing Hoax Myths
astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, many conspiracy theorists still insist the Apollo 11 moon landing was an elaborate hoax. Examine the photographic evidence, and find out why experts say some of the most common claims simply don t hold water.
You can tell Apollo was faked because . the American flag appears to be flapping as if in a breeze in videos and photographs supposedly taken from the airless lunar surface.
The fact of the matter is .
The astronauts also accidentally bent the horizontal rods holding the flag in place several times, creating the appearance of a rippling flag in photographs (Apollo 11 moon landing pictures).
Ker Than
Neil Armstrong and the Eagle lunar lander are reflected in Buzz Aldrin s visor in one of the most famous images taken during the July 1969 moon landingpatagonia better sweater teal green.
You can tell Apollo was faked because . only two astronauts walked on the moon at a time, yet in photographs such as this one where both are visible, there is no sign of a camera. So who took the picture?
The fact of the matter is .
In the picture above, Plait notes, you can see [Neil s] arms are sort of at his chest. That s where the camera is. He wasn t holding it up to his visor.
(Also sdiscount patagonia capileneee restored 1960s moon pictures from unmanned orbiters.)
My God, it s full of stars! Arthur C. Clarke s 2001 character Dave Bowman famously exclaimed when faced with the vastness of space.
You can tell Apollo was faked because . the astronauts made no patagonia backcountry guide pants blacksuch exclamation while on the moon, and patagonia pcu guide pantsthe black backgrounds of their photographs are curiously devoidpatagonia hats for big heads of starspatagonia houdini care instructions. (See more iconic space pictures.)
The fact of the matter is . the moon s surfapatagonia everlong review 6770m0ce reflects sunlight, and that glare would have made stars difficult to see. Also, the astronauts photographed their lunar adventures using fast exposure settings,patagonia chile and argentina land for sale which would have limited incoming background light.
They were taking pictures at 1/150th or 1/250th of a second, Bad Astronomy s Plait said. In that amount of time, stars just don t show up.
(Related: Hear a 1969 audio history of the space age, including the Apollo 11 moon landing.)
The lunar lander known apatagonia everlong review 6770m3s the Eagle rests peacefully on the moon s surfpatagonia everlong review 6770m1ace in a picture taken mere hours after the July 20, 1969, moon landing.
You can tell Apollo was faked because . the module is shown sitting on relatively flat, undisturbed soil. According to skeptics, the lander s descent should have been accompanied by a large dust cloud and would have formed a noticeable crater. (Explore an interactive moon map.)
The fact of the matter is . the lander s engines were throttled back just before landing, and it did not hover long enough to form a crater or kick up much dust, the Smithsonian s Launius said.
Science fiction movies depict thispatagonia better sweater vest sale big jet of fire coming out as [spacecraft] land, but that s not how they did it on the moon, he added. That s not the way they would do it now or anytime in the future.
(Related: new, high res moon pictures from NASA orbiter launched in 2009.)
A moon landing picture shows astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the footpad of the Eagle s ladder, his bent knees suggesting that he s about to jump up to the next rung. (Read Buzz Aldrin, First Man (to Pee) on the Moon, Sounds Off. )
You can tell Apollo was faked because . Aldrin is seen in the shadow of the lander, yet he is clearly visible. Hoax subscribers say that many shadows look strange in Apollo pictures. Some shadows don t appear to be parallel with each other, and some objects in shadow appear well lit, hinting that light was coming from multiple sources suspiciously like studio cameras.
The fact of the matter is . there were multiple light sources, Launius said. You ve got the sun, the Earth s reflected light, light reflecting off the lunar module, the spacesuits, and also the lpatagonia everlong review 6770munar surface.
It s also important to note that the lunar surface is not flat, he added. If an object is in a dip, you re going to get a dpatagonia everlong review 6770m2ifferent shadow compared to an object next to it that is on a level surface.
The contrasted lines of a bootprint appear as Buzz Aldrin lifts his foot to record an image for studying the moon s soil properties. Apollo pictures show scores of clear bootprints left behind as the astronauts traipsed across the moon. (Find out more about moon exploration.)
You can tell Apollo was faked because . the astronauts prints are a bit too clear for being made on a bone dry world. Prints that well defined could only have been made in wet sand.
The fact of the matter is . that s nonsense, said Bad Astronomy s Plait. Moon dust, or regolith, is like a finely ground powder. When you look at it under a microscope, it almost looks likpatagonia guide pants 97%e volcanic ash. So when you step on it, it can compress very easily into the shape of a boot. And those shapes could stay pristine for a long while thanks to the airless vacuum on the moon.
