Man’s First Step On The Moon And Conspairatorial Assumptions, American Flag Waving Without Wind And Sky Empty Of Stars. When man first set foot on the moon in July 1969, this scene was seen live by millions of people around the world, but even today there are many people in the world who insist that man never set foot on the moon.
Man’s First Step On The Moon And Conspiratorial Assumptions | American Flag Waving Without Wind And Sky Empty Of Stars:
Bill Kaysing, who died in 2005, is considered to be the founder of such conspiracy theories.
According to the US space agency NASA, even today when surveys are conducted, about 5% of Americans say that the news of a man landing on the moon was a lie.
Although the proportion of these individuals is very small, this number is enough to keep the conspiracy theories alive.
‘Rumor’ Of Landing On The Moon:
Those who consider man’s landing on the moon a mere rumour or joke. Their main argument is that in the 1960s, the US space program did not have any technology to reach the moon.
People say that when NASA found out that they did not have the necessary technology. So NASA may have created a drama of landing on the moon just to humiliate its rival Soviet Union in the race to reach the moon.
They believe that since the Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in this race and had set out on a mission to inspect the surface of the moon that had crashed, it was imperative for the United States to do something to prove that the US is ahead of the Soviet Union in this race.
Such conspiracy theories began as soon as Apollo 11 returned to Earth, but these assumptions were reinforced when a book was published in 1976 entitled:
We Never Went to the Moon.
The author of the book was Bill Kaysing, a journalist who had previously been involved in public relations at a NASA company.
In the book, the author makes a number of arguments aimed at proving that Apollo 11 landing on the moon was a hoax and that billions of dollars were embezzled in the project.
Later, the same arguments were used by those who considered landing on the moon to be a lie.
The American Flag Waved Without Wind | The Role of Flags in Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories:
These arguments also refer to pictorial ‘evidence’.
Those who deny the successful mission of Apollo 11 say that if you look at the pictures of the surface of the moon, you do not see any star in the background and how can the American flag fly in the absence of air on the moon.
Michael Rich, a researcher in the field of aeronautics at the University of California, says that this theory can be refuted on scientific grounds.
He says the flag was not actually waving but was merely waving.
This is because while Neil Armstrong and his fellow pilots were hoisting the Bezildern flag on the surface of the moon, slots fell on it, making it look like the flag was flying.
The reason these slots are not far away is that the gravity on the moon is six times less than on the earth.
‘Starless’ Sky:
Those who deny the moon landing incident also present another picture in support of their arguments.
About which they say that when the moon car was landing there, why no star was visible even though it was dark in the background.
The fact is that this is what happens in the combination of extreme darkness and bright light.
Explaining this, Professor Brian Coberlin of the University of Rochester says:
Because the sunlight is reflected from the surface of the moon, we can see the atmosphere around the moon in these images very bright.
Due to this bright light, the brightness of the stars is very dim and that is why we do not see the stars in the pictures of Apollo 11.
Another reason why stars are not visible is that in a very bright place we do not see stars in a short time, but if you stand there for a long time, you can identify the stars.
Imitation Footprints:
Conspiracy theorists also question the footprints of astronauts on the surface of the moon.
In this regard, it is argued that the humidity on the surface of the moon is very low, but where did the marks on the surface come from that are said to be the marks of Aldrin’s shoes.
In response, Arizona State University professor Mark Robinson offers a scientific explanation.
Professor Robinson explains that on the surface of the moon there is a layer of rocks and dust called ‘Regolith’.
This layer is very soft like cotton, so when you step on it there are very clear marks. And since the dust particles are connected to each other, these marks remain visible even after taking a step.
Professor Robinson says that the footprints of astronauts on the surface of the moon will remain the same for millions of years because there is complete space around the moon and air never passes through it.
Why Didn’t The Astronauts Die From The Rays?
A very popular conspiracy theory is that the rays around the earth are so fast that astronauts should have died.
These bands of rays are called “van Allen belts” which are formed by the collision of strong winds from the sun and the magnetic waves around the earth.
In the early days of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, scientists feared that when these rays hit astronauts, they might not be able to cope.
But NASA said that when Apollo 11 was sent to the moon, astronauts were trapped in the rays for less than two hours during the entire journey and were only present for five minutes in places where the rays were very strong get faster
Visual Evidence Refuting Conspiracy Theories:
It is also worth mentioning that recently NASA has also released pictures of the places on the surface of the moon which have been taken down by a mission sent to the lunar orbit (LRO).
The mission has been orbiting the moon since 2009, and images sent by it clearly show where the Apollo missions landed on the moon.
One of them is a picture of the place where Apollo 11 landed, where not only traces of it can be seen, but also pieces of the lunar vehicle that were of no use on the return.
Photographs were taken from the LRO also show flags flown by six Apollo 11 crew members.
Only one of the flags is no longer visible, and Buzz Adrian reported on his return from the moon that when the moon car flew back to the moon, the flag was blown away by the hot air from the engine.
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Why Didn’t The Soviet Union Support The Conspiracy Theories?
Although conspiratorial assumptions have been successfully refuted so far, these assumptions are still very popular and many people still believe them.
But the truth is that so far we have found good scientific evidence that on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong actually stepped on the surface of the moon.
People who believe in conspiracy theories are often asked the question: If the landing of American astronauts on the moon is a lie, why doesn’t the Soviet Union, which is involved in this race, call it a lie?
“If we hadn’t landed on the moon and we were lying, the Soviet Union would have had the ability and the will to disprove our claim,” said Robert Lanes, former head of NASA’s history department. But they never said a word about it.
“I think that’s great proof in itself.”
