The Moon Landing Conspiracy: Cause and Effect Draft #1 Apollo 11, also known as the Moon landing, took place on July 20th, 1969.(“Apollo 11”) Or did it? It may sound like a joke but ever since “Bill Kaysing; a former aerospace technical writer kicked off the Moon landing conspiracy idea in 1975 with his self-published book, “We Never Went To The Moon.””(Villard), reports of incrimidating evidence have surfaced, claiming that the Apollo 11 moon landing was a hoax, compelling society to question the event, the evidence and the facts. In 1969 during the cold war, the race of the century was in full force. The United States of America and the Soviet Union were going head to head in a race that dared to push the boundaries of modern day science, …show more content…
technology and the atomosphere. It was called the “Space Race” and its purpose was to reach the next frontier. Outer space. The Soviets started this race on October 4, 1957 when they launched “Sputnik”, the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the earths orbit. (“The Space Race”) This sparked an urgency within the U.S. government to reach the next frontier as well. Fast forward to July 20th, 1969. The date in which the United States succesfully put man on the moon. By achieving this “…giant leap for mankind” as said by Neil Armstrong, the United States effectively “won” the space race. (“The Space Race”) This moment in history gave glory and power to the U.S. until 1975 when a man by the name of Bill Kaysing published a book claiming “We Never Went to the Moon” as the title so boldly states. (Villard) It sounds outrageous to even suggest that the Apollo 11 mission didn’t happen, but that is exactly what this newly hatched conspiracy theory claims. This theory led people to begin to analyze the footage and documentation from the Apollo 11 mission, and when they did; strange and interesting articles of so-called “evidence” began to manifest. Soon after is when questions began to surface. When looking at the claims from the Moon landing conspiracy theorists they all seem to fit into the same general theory that “The United States government deemed it vital that it win the Space Race against the Soviet Union. Going to the moon would be risky and expensive, as exemplified by Pres. John F. Kennedy famously stating in a 1962 speech that the United States chose to go because it was hard”. (Chaikin 2007) and since it would be “risky” the “United states decided to hoax the Apollo 11 mission on a closed film set somewhere on earth.” (Villard) Conspiracy theorists have come across a few “oddities” within the moon landing footage and photos that they feel depicts that the footage was filmed on a closed set. These oddities include: A flag begins to flap as if in the wind, a photo of a moon rock which seems to be marked with a “C” on it, In several of the shots and photos some of the shadows seem to go in different directions, and When viewing the different footage the backgrounds seem to be “Duplicates”. Starting with the flag, conspiracy theorists state that the flag seems to mimic a flapping motion which would mean that it was in the wind or a breeze and if that is the case then we know that the moon landing footage was not taken on the moon because space is a vacuum and there cannot be any air currents in a vacuum, therefor the moon landing footage was taken on earth. (Fuller) Next is the photo of the rock that seems to be marked with a “C”. Conspiracy theorists believe that this “C” rock could possibly be a marked set piece that someone on the set forgot to remove or turn around. (Fuller) Conspiracy theorists say that if you look at the photos from the Apollo 11 moon landing that you can very clearly see that the shadows seem to differ in direction. Because of this find conspiracy theorists claim that the shadows behave like this because there were multiple light sources at the time of the photos, which leads theorist to claim that the moon landing was staged on a closed movie set. Lastly, conspiracy theorists claim that the Apollo 11 moon landings were filmed on a closed set is because in the released footage and photographs even when the angles and locations of where the photographs where taken are different the background scenery seems to stay the same once again leading the idea that the moon landing was filmed on a set. While these conspiracy theories are intriguing, there comes a point in time where these theories meet fact.
“It doesn’t help moon conspiracy theorist that not one person from the Apollo era’s 35,000 NASA employees or 200,000 contractors has ever stepped forward with “whistle-blowing “ insider testimony or ”smoking-gun” memos about a staged event.” (Villard) According to Ray Villard “NASA’s own actions are inconsistent without anyone would attempt to pull off a moon hoax.” (Villard) Let the debunking begin! Lets address the “Flapping” American flag first. Conspiracy theorists claim that the moon landing footage was filmed on a closed set because the movement of the flag suggests there is wind present and since the moon is in space there cannot be wind therefore it was hoaxed. According to NASA the flag was constructed specifically for the moons surface. A top wire runs through the fabric along top allowing it to stand erect like a wind swept flag on earth. The astronauts simply cause the flapping themselves by struggling to plant the flagpole into the ground and twisting it around. (Fuller) Next up, The “C” rock. A rock is seen in photographs and it appears to have the letter “C” “written or stamped on it, this gives off the impression that most of the rocks in the pictures from the moon landing are simply props.”(Fuller) scientists and representatives from NASA claim the “C” is just a photographic glitch–a stray hair that found its way into the developing process.” (Fuller) Considering the changing shadows, Villard puts it very well that “these claims prove only one thing–the conspiracy theorists know less about photography than a high school freshman joining the camera club. All Apollo images are absolutely accurate and consistent with the reality of a single, really bright light source–the Sun.” (Villard) When examining the conspiracy theory that duplicate backgrounds were used in the filming of the Apollo 11 moon landing, it is clear that the conspiracy
theorist don’t take account for any environmental factors. Goddard makes it clear that “ the backgrounds were not identical, just similar. What appear as nearby hills in some photos are actually mountains many miles away. On earth, objects that are further away will appear fainter and less detailed. On the Moon, there is no atmosphere or pays to obscure far away objects, thus they appear clearer and nearer.”(Goddard) In conclusion, Apollo 11 was the first moon landing made possible by the help of NASA. Conspiracy theorists say it was a hoax and filmmakers in a soundstage created the footage. But that is just one theory, and a theory will only remain a theory until proven true or false.
There are a bunch of conspiracies in this world and there's a few on the tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001. One of the theories is that inside traders knew about the attacks before they happened. As said in an article, “in the days before 9/11 there was a huge increase in the number of put options purchased on their airlines, compared to the normal average daily volume.”(Davis) Before I explain what that means the article also mentioned, “ this huge increase in the volume of put options suggests that the people buying these put options knew in advance that 9/11 was about to happen.” (Davis) What the quotes are saying, is that a few days before 9/11, out of nowhere, there was an huge increase in the airlines, that were hijacked, stock markets. The conspiracy theory is that the government was aware of the attacks the entire time but because they were making profit, this did nothing about it.
As a result of the successful mission that landed the first men on the moon, called the Apollo 11 mission, many people were inspired to provide commentary on this landing. Although these texts describe unique individual purposes about this landing, they all effectively support their purposes through the use of several rhetorical devices.
Leavitt, K. (n.d.). Do Non-Parallel Shadows in Moon Landing Photos Prove a NASA Hoax?. Yahoo Contributor Network. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://voices.yahoo.com/do-non-parallel-shadows-moon-landing-photos-prove-3981262.html?cat=37
The following four texts apart of the Culminating Activity were all related to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which had first put a man on the moon. The first article was from the Times of London, and served to describe the events of the moon landing from the astronaut's point of view. The article used anecdotal evidence to describe Aldrin and Armstrong's experience in order to inform the audience of what had occurred, as well as the reactions in several different countries.. The speaker is a from a reputable news source, The Times, and is informing the European audience - as this event was apart of America’s space program, NASA - of the landing as a great success. Although
Once the United States landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, it was clear that the U.S. hoaxed the moon landing due to observations being viewed during the live footage of the moon landing. When watching the United States land on the moon, viewers claim to have watched the flag waving on live television. As known, there is no atmosphere in space or on the moon, so why should the flag be waving? NASA clai...
The Soviet’s were responsible for putting man on the moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed, it was the United States’ foes that drove the U.S. to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the twentieth century. Following the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between former allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, began to grow. In the following decades, the two superpowers would duke it out in competitions and tremendous shows of nationalism. They formed unmatchable rivalries in politics, economics, sciences, and sports. These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear into the American Public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s which opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations.
Villard, Ray. "Did NASA Fake the Moon Landing?." Astronomy. July 2004: 48-53. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 08 Apr. 2014
Plait, Phil. A. & Co. Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax." Bad Astronomy. 3 Dec. 2001. 6 Dec. 2001 <http://www.badastronomy.com/>.
The 1960’s were full of questions, and one of the biggest questions the world was pondering about was regarding the Space Race: was the USA going to beat their communist enemy, the Soviet Union? The Space Race was a series of events that helped to symbolize and determine in the worlds’ eyes which form of government was better, communism (Soviets) or democracy (United States)? In the beginning of the race, the Soviets had the lead, and it was not looking good for America. Then the United States picked up the pace and spent well over eight billion dollars funding the space studies. This period of time made many scientists and astronauts heroes in the eyes of Americans. The Space Race was a combination of determination, intelligence, space projects, and American pride, all used to reach our exploration goals and surpass the Soviets.
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.” This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the...
Just about everyone in the United States has heard about the little town of Roswell, New Mexico. Most people know that there is a connection between Roswell and UFO’S. This crash site became the most credible in UFO crashes ever known. The U.S military actually sent out to the news and every reporter claiming that a flying disk has just crash at Roswell in July 1947. It was all in the news papers and it said that the military had recovered the flying disk and later the military retracted that news from the newspaper and every type of media saying that they had made a mistake and that it was just a weather balloon that they retracted and have in their possession (marshal, Brian). The s...
Little did anyone know or expect this would be the most rewarding mission since 1961. Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins left from the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida on July 16,1969. Michael Collins was the command module pilot, Neil Armstrong was the mission commander, and Buzz Aldrin was the lunar module pilot. The Apollo 11 crew traveled 240,000 miles in just 72 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July 19,1696. Collins detached for the lunar module The mission was already ahead of schedule with Americans waiting to see what was going to happen next for their country. At 10:39 p.m., Armstrong, being televised, opened the hatch of the lunar module, and three minutes later Armstrong made history by putting his left foot of the moon’s powdery surface. When Armstrong stepped down from the last step from the spacecraft, all of America jumped for excitement and joy. Aldrin soon joined Armstrong 19 minutes later, and together they took photographs, then planted the United States flag. President Nixon was so very blessed and honored that he was able to witness America make history on July 24, 1969 along with all of the other Americans. Returning back to Earth
Do you believe in the moon landing conspiracy? There are various theories that skeptics compose to attempt to accuse NASA of faking the Apollo moon landings, although all these simple explanations will prove these theories wrong. The moon landing conspiracy was “claimed” to be a hoax since it was the only time the U.S. has ever landed on the moon was under Nixon’s administration, and the reason for this is after we finally made it to the moon the interest for the USSR else to make it there died out just like the flow of money that had been invested into the missions; skeptics attempt to say that it was faked since even with the technological advances we haven’t been back to the moon, but this is easily proven wrong by simply stating that the
“On July 16, 1969 the world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.” (news.nationalgeographic.com). This was the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first successful manned mission to the moon. This mission was the product of the space race (race to see who would go into outer space first, against the Soviet Union). This goal was set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 and he promised that we would be the first to step on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo 11 mission is often cited as the greatest achievement in human history. (news.nationalgeographic.com)
The Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy. (n.d.). Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_landing_hoax.phtml