Reasons Why The Moon Landing Was Definitely A Hoax
By molly atherton
4 months ago
The Shadows Don't Match Up
Image Source: Vox
A number of people, mostly conspiracy theorists have been known to use the shadows in the photos taken as reasons that the moon landings must have been fake! They use the reasoning that if the sun is the only light source to the moo how on earth are the shadows not parallel with one another? Although this seems like quite an intelligent way to look at it, and they aren't exactly wrong; this is actually a well known phenomenon that you can also see on earth. Sometimes our perspective can change the way we see things!The Flag Waved
Image Source: Reddit
This is perhaps one of the most well-known conspiracy theories regarding the moon landing as within images and clips of the moon landing we can see that the flag appears to be waving in the wind. But.. that's odd because there's no atmosphere and no wind on the moon is there? It has been said that the pole the flag was placed into the ground on was specifically made to make it look as if the famous stars and stripes were actually flying, and that it looks creased because it has simply been scrunched up in the rocket for days. Who do you believe?Where Are The Stars?
Image Source: NZ Herald
You might have noticed that in all of the images and videos taken from the moon landings that the sky appears pitch black and that there aren't any stars in the sky. Surely in space you'd be able to see millions of stars from the moon right? Although this seems like a plausible reason for the landing to be fake, scientists have debunked this theory a number of times. Supposedly the fact that the sun lit up the backdrop meant that faint object like the stars were hidden from the cameras when the photos were being taken.Why Haven't We Gone Back?
Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The US were at the forefront of the space missions during the 60's and 70's so after we achieved such a great success, why have we not been back since 1972? Surely we'd be constantly going back and forth by now in order to learn everything we can about that giant space rock! However, apparently the reason is simply that they changed their priorities and began heading towards building the international space station and then supporting all of the astronauts that have since inhabited the station. Are we ever gonna go back?It Was All Filmed In A Studio
Image Source: The New York Times
The above image is just a cinematic representation of the moon landing, although quite a large group of people actually believe that the entire thing was faked and developed in a US studio (on earth) and not on the surface of the moon (not on earth). One of the most common reasons that they believe the landing had to have been faked in a studio is those shadows we mentioned earlier. They believe that these shadows aren't a result of perspective but that they're actually signs of a television studio.No Blast Crater
Image Source: Reddit
Many sceptics believe that there's no way anyone could have landed on the moon as there was no left over craters on the moon following the landing of the lunar module that carried Aldrin and Armstrong. You'd think that if these guys footsteps were leaving footprints on the surface of the moon then the lunar module would have to leave some form of evidence it was there. However, it's said that they didn't leave any obvious marks as the weight within them was evenly distributed unlike a human's weight.The US Were Desperate To Beat The Russians
Image Source: Reddit
There were actually claims from within the US (but mostly outside) that the whole mission to send people to space was actually a hoax in the weeks before the capsules were even sent in to orbit. For many people it was obvious that the US were rushing to get this done in order to gain a massive victory over their biggest enemies, Soviet Russia. In fact, it had been known that the US were behind the Russians when it came to rocketry, so how was it that the US were the first ones to get their citizens to stand on the moon.The Film Quality Was Too Good
Image Source: BBC Sky
The film quality during the entire human trip to the moon led to a lot of people debating whether or not it could be real. In particular, people struggled to believe that the clarity on show in the films from space could be possible based on the technology that was available to go to space during the 60's. Alongside this, how is it that the images came out so clear when you take in to account how complex it would be to film on a planet with 0 gravity and also when you take in to account they'll be wearing spacesuits!The Van Allen Radiation Belt
Image Source: Reddit
This is quite a scientific route that some conspiracy theorists have taken when trying to support their point that the moon landings must have been fake. You might not know that the earth is surrounded by something known as the Van Allen radiation belt. Conspiracy theorists suggest that there's no way the astronauts could have travelled through this belt without contracting heavy radiation. Seems smart right? But experts have suggested that the spacecraft went through the belt too fast for them to become radiated.Lack Of Exhaust During Takeoff
Image Source: National Air and Space Museum
During the Apollo mission a number of things became contentious for conspiracy theorists and one of these issues was the exhaust plumes following the take-off. During it's take-off on earth we seen a massive amount of fuel being burned which left a lot of smoke in the atmosphere. However, critics argue that this also should have happened when the module took off from the moon as well! Alongside this, they believe that the plume should have escaped in a different manner than they did on earth.Lost Telemetry Data
Image Source: Critical Link
Telemetry data is incredibly important when it comes to rocketry, as I'm sure you probably know, the numbers have to be crunched and this helps inform the ground control of the measurements on the spacecraft. As the module carrying the astronauts went behind the moon direct communication was said to be lost and so telemetry data could be limited or non-existent at points of the trip. Obviously, as soon as people heard that bits of data were missing they instantly went to conspiracy theories and claimed this was a sure-fire sign it was fake.Astronauts Are Alive
Image Source: Guinness World Records
You have to be some form of crazy to commit much of your life to training and agreeing to send yourself to the moon at some point in your life. Many conspiracy theorists believed that they shouldn't have survived or at least should have been incredibly ill after travelling through the Van Allen radiation belt; and alongside that how have they managed to survive the moon landing despite them having never actually practiced or spent anytime on the moon before. Surely they must have panicked at some point.Nasa Isn't Real
Image Source: Reddit
NASA has become known worldwide thanks to its control of much of the space travel that has occurred during the last 60 years. However, some people believe that not just the moon landings were fake but that actually NASA, the whole company are actually fake themselves. It's hard to believe that this is a realistic idea for some people thanks to all the evidence that contradicts the opinion. They are responsible for releasing hundreds of satellites in to outer space and they've had a number of things land on the surface since.Photo Crosshairs
Image Source: Jacques Gaines
The photos and videos are obviously the most important pieces of evidence we have to prove that the moon landings really did happen and they weren't a hoax. However, people have found a number of issues regarding the images and think this is a sign it has to be fake. A number of inconsistencies have appeared where it shows the crosshairs seem to be behind objects in the image and in some of them they look to be slightly blurry. It's probably just a light in space problem again right... right?Slow-Motion Footage?
Image Source: Discover Magazine
The footage that appeared to show the American astronauts taking their first steps on the moon was a once in a lifetime opportunity for so many people to watch; but was it really all fake? Some theorists have suggested that the slow-motion looking footage seemed to be too fake for it to be deemed realistic. In fact, apparently some found it comical that people could believe this was real as it looked so obviously staged. But experts have argued this was only due to the camera's frame rate.Avoided Space Debris
Image Source: Reddit
Space debris is one of the most difficult things to plan for when it comes to trying to work out a lunar modules route, just one mistake could be the difference between the astronauts surviving and dying during their mission. People believe there's no way that the technology was available to steer clear of space debris during the time of the mission. Despite this, many measures were taken to minimise these risks like tracking from the control center, active monitoring to keep an eye on debris on radars and the ship was designed to deflect small debris.Scripted Communication
Image Source: Business Insider
As you might expect, the communication recordings from the apollo space missions came out a little bit sketchy, this is no surprise when you think that the conversations were taking place between control on earth and on the surface of the moon. On occasions, peoples voices would cut out which raised suspicion, but the most common reason people believe it was fake is that the communication seemed fake. If you listen to it, you might understand what they mean, there are long gaps between communication!Visor Reflections
Image Source: Reddit
Reflections are something that might have gone amiss when you try and first examine all of the moon landing footage. Critics have claimed and argued that the reflections and the glare don't appear to be consistent with what should be seen from the angles the shots were taken. They used this supposed 'evidence' to further their claims that the whole landing was instead filmed on earth and not on the moon. Despite this, experts continue to claim that the reflections ARE consistent with positions of the sun.The Lunar Soil Is Fake
Image Source: Reddit
There are two main issues that people have found in relation to the soil that the astronauts supposedly brought back from the moon to earth. In fact, with the exception of a very select few, (government selected) scientists basically no one has ever been able to openly examine the soil. The fact its so tightly controlled has raised some suspicion with others suggesting that this means that the lunar soil probably didn't come from the moon at all! However, a number of studies based on the samples should suggest otherwise.How Did The Pictures Survive?
Image Source: NASA
One common conspiracy theory that seems to come up often amongst moon landing conversations is the fact that they don't believe that the films should have survived the extreme temperatures of the moon and outer space. Supposedly the materials that old school films were made out of, would have either been frozen or been melted. This does seem like it could be a possibility as they were made partly out of gelatine! But if that was the case then would there have also been issues with some aspects of the suits?Who Was Filming Armstrong?
Image Source: Phy.org
Neil Armstrong's words became instantly famous, after he claimed he was taking this giant leap for mankind. But one man who was absolutely sure the moon landings were faked, William Kaysing, who spent a lot of time trying to debunk the whole moon landing issue. He pointed out that if Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon then who on earth (or who on the moon) was the one recording him stepping down off of the lunar module? This was later debunked as a camera had been mounted to the ladder.The Astronauts Are Defensive
Image Source: Reddit
One of the best ways to prove that the moon landings definitely did or definitely didn't happen is by communicating with one of the 12 people who are said to have stepped foot on the moon. And since they've all returned to earth they have been quite defensive and aggressive towards people who have questioned whether or not it was true. Buzz Aldrin got in to an altercation where he punched a reporter who asked him to swear on the bible whilst Edgar Mitchell refused to answer any questions or talk about his trip to the moon.The Apollo 1 Fire
Image Source: Reddit
Unfortunately, prior to the apollo moon landing that was actually successful, there were some tragic incidents in regards to rocketry at NASA. The original apollo mission, Apollo 1, led to the deaths of 3 astronauts. Conspiracy theorists like William Kaysing believed that this wasn't just an accident during a training programme but that it was actually a cover-up started by NASA. If this was the case it would be horrific as 3 men lost their lives, although it seems a little insensitive to discuss this as fact.Other Politics Caused Doubt
Image Source: Reddit
At the time of the first moon landing, the US were reeling from a number of issues that had caused a sense of disruption across the entirety of the country. Many people were disappointed that the country were thrown in to the Vietnam war and the whole watergate scandal obviously didn't do the president any favours either. Just like the US government needed a win against Russia, they needed a win to regain some national support. So a number of people weren't so sure that this was completely true.Stanley Kubrick Directed It
Image Source: Reddit
This is perhaps one of the most bizarre theories surrounding the moon landing and it really came out of nowhere following the moon landing. As mentioned before many people were sceptical around the moon landing so they believed a lot of anything! It seems as though this theory is solely based off the fact that Kubrick had directed 2001: A Space Odyssey a year prior. They believe the government called him in and requested he do so as an act of patriotism. It seems unlikely but this has a surprisingly large following.Nasa Was Badly Managed
Image Source: Reddit
We're back with the man NASA and a number of experts have claimed to be 'crazy' again in William Kaysing; within the book he wrote claiming the moon was a hoax he brought up a number of key arguments, including some we've already looked at already. But what he did suggest is that its hard to believe NASA would be able to be so successful. He claimed that NASA was badly managed and the quality of quality control was poor so how did they manage to successfully perform all these amazing space flights?They Were Spending So Much
Image Source: Reddit
A few people have subscribed to the fact that the government might have been forced to falsify the moon landings in order to make the public believe they were making progress with their space mission. At the time, NASA made up nearly 5% of the entire US federal budget so if the missions were to fail and continue failing it might cause uproar in the country when they realised how much money was actually being wasted to get there! They're lucky that they managed to figure it out in the end then aren't they?Lots Of People Believed It Was False
Image Source: Reddit
Following the initial rumblings around the US that the moon landing was fake it gained a lot of traction and more and more people began believing that the government and NASA had lied to us. During 1970, a poll in the US found that more than 30% of Americans actually believed that the Apollo 11 mission was completely fake. This was only further emphasised when books like the one by William Keysing and the film Capricorn One released which showed a fictional fake mission to mars being covered up.Constructed Reality Claims Are Dangerous
Image Source: The Seattle Times
It has to be mentioned at some point in this list that although these claims that the moon landing was fake don't cause any particular harm to anyone, that people should always try and clue themselves up before stating anything like this. This brought the idea of crisis actors to the attention of the public and started a wave of 'theories' regardig how the government could have had a hand in some faked or set up instances. The most dangerous of claims are often in regards to 9/11 and the sandy hook disaster.The Moon Is A Hologram
Image Source: Reddit
Let's end with the most obscure and bizarre reason that the moon landing had to be a hoax then shall we. Believe it or not, there are actually a whole range of people who have claimed that the moon isn't even a real planet, but instead an extremely advanced holographic protection. Obviously this is widely disregarded as a result of an overwhelming amount of evidence available to us. Aside from the moon landing we also have a number of observations via telescopes and the gravitational interactions the moon has with us on earth.The other biggest hoaxes in history! The accidental War of the Worlds
image source: themichigandaily.com
Before it became a film with Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds was originally a novel turned into a radio play, and if you haven't heard it fully before, it begins with a narration about an incoming alien attack. As you can imagine, if you heard that on the radio and didn't realize what you'd tuned into, you might mistake it for a news report - which is what a lot of people did! The 'hoax' was taken so seriously people flooded to highways and began arming themselves.The Shed at Dulwich restaurant
image source: dailymail.co.uk
The Shed at Dulwich could easily pass for the name of a fancy pants restaurant - which is exactly what it was pretending to be - but in fact, it really was just a man's shed. It was an experiment set up to measure people's reactions to the 'buzz' created around things, where the fake restaurant was given a ton of glowing reviews and people told there was a waiting list for a year! All a hoax.The Cardiff Giant
image source: WAMC
Two men named Emmons and Nichols seemed to have discovered a 10-foot man who had been petrified, back in 1869 on a farm in New York. A tent was set up and the public were charged to come and take a look at the extraordinary discovery, with some people believing it was a biblical giant. Later, it was revealed it was all a scam - the giant had been commissioned to be made out of a stone so they could make a quick buck.... Which then inspired a dozen more hoaxes of these 'giants'
image source: Loveland Reporter-Herald
Of course, when money-making hoaxes go right, it makes sense why a ton of people would want to try the same thing! There were more occurances of huge petrified 'people' being found, including The Solid Muldoon in Colorado and McGinty in Willow Creek, with people charged money to have a look. Another man buried one of the stone giants for his workers to find.Michael Jordon's death
image source: Reddit
There was an article released in 2015 that legendary sportsman Michael Jordon had passed away after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. But it wasn't just a report - they even managed to create a convincing video that looked like a tearful news report. It understandably went viral with people actually believing the news, until mews agencies eventually stepped in to say it was fake.The Piltdown Man
image source: Forbes
The evolution theory tells us that man came from ape, and with this came a great interest in people finding evidence of that middle phase of ape turning into man. There was a time when it was thought this proof had been found: known as the Piltdown Man, it was a skull the size of a human brain, but the jaw of an ape, found in a gravel pit. In 1953, it was revealed it had all been a hoax.The ghost of Cock Lane
image source: amazon.co.uk
When it comes to conspiracies and hoaxes, there are naturally going to be a ton relating to the paranormal! A home in London, England, was said to be haunted by a woman who died there. The landlord and his daughter held seances and encouraged the rumor - and the activity even had the 'ghost' accuse her former lover of killing her. It turned out it was all a hoax created by the landlord himself, who was trying to frame the woman's former lover for a crime he didn't commit!A shark on the freeway after Hurricane Harvey
image source: mashable.com
If there's one thing you can expect after a natural disaster it's tragic photos of the scenes, and after Hurricane Harvey, one photo in particular began to circulate: a shark swimming through a flooded freeway, the picture appearing to have been taken from inside a car. The photo went viral with people believing it was real - until it turned out it was a photo from a different hurricane, time and place altogether!The fake diaries of Adolf Hitler
image source: theguardian.com
A man named Fritz Stiefel claimed to have a handwritten diary by Adolf Hitler himself. After the first diary, more began to turn up. In total, there was 60 diaries, with Stiefel demanding a hefty price for them from magazines who wanted the information. But the skeptics soon stepped in and professional tests were run which proved the diaries were made after Hitler's death, and were fake.A woman pregnant with animals
image source: theparisreview.org
We all know the strange allure of 'freak shows' that have happened in history, so a woman pregnant with animal parts sounds about right. Back in the 18th century, a woman named Mary Toft decided to try her luck by pretending to be pregnant and then 'giving birth' to a cat, a rabbit's head and nine baby rabbits, amongst other things! She soon drew attention, but a surgeon quickly proved it, of course, wasn't possible - and Toft admitted she'd faked it.The balloon UFO
image source: 8newsnow.com
Back in 2009, there was extensive news coverage about the silver 'UFO' seen in the sky over Colorado. A couple released the initial footage and then called the cops to say the craft had actually taken their son. The National Guard and police tracked down the mysterious object and conducted a search for the missing boy. But after finding nothing, the boy later appeared - safe at home - and let it slip it had all been faked. The parents were arrested for wasting police time.That Anastasia Romanov had escaped
image source: Russia Beyond
Russian history includes the infamous execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, in the basement of their home. His wife and five children were said to have been killed along with him - until women around the world began to claim they were one of his children, Anastasia, who had actually survived. One woman, Anna, was the most convincing, and so much so there were legal battles to get her shares of the Russian estate she was learned. But when skeletons were later discovered in a forest near to the original estate - and with further DNA testing - Anna was proved to be false.Spain's 'letter of doom'
image source: Reddit
In the city of Toledo in Spain, there was a letter found in 1184 that spelled out 'doom' in Europe - namely, an apocalypse on the way. It was claimed to have been written by astrologers and that natural disasters would end the world. People believed it - and panicked - but as we know, they could panic for a long time afterwards because they'd still be alive to do so - it wasn't true!Pictures of the afterlife
image source: mirror.co.uk
Nobody really knows what happens after death, but there have been a lot of faked photos and accounts from people claiming to know. One of these was photographer William H. Mumler, who revealed a collection of ghostly photographs of people sat in chairs with ghostly figures appearing over their shoulder. This early example of fake Photoshop was originally believed to be him catching ghosts on camera.The Laocoon and His Sons artwork
image source: Reddit
In the Vatican's museum is a marble artwork named Laocoon and His Sons, of a priest and two boys being attacked by sea snakes. But nobody really knows who originally created it - it's only claimed to have been found in Rome by someone claiming it came from Greece. It was later believed to actually be a forgery, of a sculptor stealing the original sketch of artist Michelangelo.This interesting relic of Jesus Christ
image source: cbc.com
In a small French city there's a cathedral that houses, what was claimed to be, a piece of Jesus Christ's f*reskin, after he was circumcised. For some reason, this draws a lot of tourist attention. But it wasn't hte only church claiming to have a piece of... well, this piece of Jesus. But the amount of people claiming to have a piece didn't tally up with how much a man would have to go around, and it was all debunked, with the 'relic' eventually disappearing.The London Stock Exchange hoax
image source: historic-uk.com
Back in 1814, a man named Lord Thomas Cochrane and his friend Captain de Berenger designed a scam to make money. Berenger pretended to be a French military man who'd just arrived from Paris, claiming that Emperor Napoleon had been killed, and France to be defeated. In response, people rushed to trade at the stock exchange - which Cochrane had happily planned so that he could sell his bonds at a higher margin. Unfortunately for them, Napoleon was very much still alive and obviously people found that out soon enough - and the hoax was exposed.The ancient artifacts found in Japan
image source: spyscape.com
In the 1970s, an archaeologist decided to plant fake ancient artifacts to be found in Miyagi, Japan, which he claimed were around 500,000 years old. Because of the belief that Japan was only occupied for around 30,000 this changed everything people thought they knew about its history. He was praised for his finds - until the media caught him burying stone items at an excavation site, and his scam was revealed.The Drake's Plate hoax
image source: pbagalleries.com
Drake's Plate was once considered a huge discovery for archaeology - and history - when the brass marker was found in California. It was said to have been left by Francis Drake, the famous explorer, after he landed on the Californian coast. It was important enough to even be taught about at schools. However, it was later found out that the plate was actually a fake that had been made in modern times.The 'Archaeoraptor' fossil
image source: Popular Mechanics
We all love finding out about dinosaurs and what they looked like, and the archaeoraptor was revealed to be a sort of feathered dinosaur, which had the arms of a bird and the tail of a dinosaur. It was supposed to prove the link between dinosaurs and birds... or it would have done if it had actually been real. It was then found out it was fake, with the fossil being made from bits of other fossils and put together!How the bathtub was invented
