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What is the Apollo Hoax Theory?

Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco

The Apollo Hoax, also known as the moon-landing hoax, is a theory that claims men did not land on the moon in 1969. The theory is popular in some sectors, and recent surveys indicate that at least six percent of Americans believe the moon landing never happened. The Apollo Hoax has been explained in different ways. For starters, there are three theories as to how big the hoax actually is.

  • Theory 1 is that the Apollo Hoax is 100 percent fabricated. This means men never left the Earth's surface because the technology available at the time did not allow for space travel. Others claim that the Van Allen radiation belts, which surround the Earth and protect it from solar radiation, would have destroyed any aircraft passengers trying to cross them.
  • Theory 2 implies the Apollo Hoax has some variations of the truth in it. For instance, it is possible that the Apollo 11 left Earth and even reached the proximity of the moon, but never actually landed on it. Others say that only the human presence in the moon was faked, as it is relatively easy to send robot missions but implicitly harder to send humans along.
  • Theory 3 is that the Apollo Hoax is actually a NASA cover up created to hide extraterrestrial data. Some argue that NASA was at the time testing a "zero gravity device" of alien origin and that faking the moon landing was a good way to distract scientist from their findings.
The Apollo Hoax theory suggests that humans never traveled to the Moon.
The Apollo Hoax theory suggests that humans never traveled to the Moon.

Proponents of the Apollo Hoax say that there are many details that prove the landing never happened. Among them are the fact that the photographs brought back by the astronauts show a sky without stars and a series of strange shadows that seem created by artificial light. These two details seem to indicate that the moon landing was faked in an indoor studio. Others claim that footprints shouldn't show up on a ground surface unless there is moisture, and that the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) should have left a crater on the surface of the moon upon landing, but it didn't.

As evidenced by the development of the Soyuz capsule, the Soviet Union had its own moon program, so why they wouldn't have exposed a U.S. hoax has yet to be explained by conspiracists.
As evidenced by the development of the Soyuz capsule, the Soviet Union had its own moon program, so why they wouldn't have exposed a U.S. hoax has yet to be explained by conspiracists.

The Apollo Hoax has many followers, some of which have created extensive websites that include photos and videos of the landing. While there is no proof that their theories are true, they point out that there is also little proof that the landing did happen apart from some photographs and rocks. This is the main reason why the idea of the Apollo Hoax still remains alive.

Discussion Comments

anon959133

There haven't been any other expeditions to the moon in the recent years because of the tremendous costs that go with landing on the moon. Back then, there was the Kennedy bet that the US would land on the moon "before this decade is out", the pressure from the Soviets a.k.a. the Cold War, so funding was in place during that era.

It is true that many technological problems were faced during the Apollo program, but they were all overcome in such a matter that men were able to land on the moon and return safely to the earth. You can read all about these endeavors in literature, or see online what challenges were faced with something like the digital computer. It's really interesting stuff. Let's not forget that $24 billion dollars were invested in landing on the moon. NASA would never get such a sum of money again. We may return to the moon, and we will probably live to tell, but it will be a much more commercial and/or international endeavor.

anon147330

Anon136811 has not done any research into the history of the moon race.

He writes about the the main argument being the technology did not exist at that time.

Well the Russians and Americans had the technology to send unmanned craft that landed safely on the moon before the apollo missions. Which they did several times. Why would it be impossible for them to do that but not send a crew there? Please answer this question.

anon136811

The recent projects undertaken by many of the developed countries including China and Russia have proven that man did land on the moon. The American flag is present to date and the photographs taken by the space vehicles confirm this.

However, the main argument that the Apollo Hoax theory makes, which is that the technology did not exist 'at that time' cannot be proven wrong. There haven't been any other expeditions to the moon in the recent years.

anon7630

any rebuttals against these arguments???

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    • The Apollo Hoax theory suggests that humans never traveled to the Moon.
      By: Yuri Arcurs
      The Apollo Hoax theory suggests that humans never traveled to the Moon.
    • As evidenced by the development of the Soyuz capsule, the Soviet Union had its own moon program, so why they wouldn't have exposed a U.S. hoax has yet to be explained by conspiracists.
      By: Mechanik
      As evidenced by the development of the Soyuz capsule, the Soviet Union had its own moon program, so why they wouldn't have exposed a U.S. hoax has yet to be explained by conspiracists.
    • Surveys indicate at least six percent of Americans believe the moon landing never happened.
      By: Naj
      Surveys indicate at least six percent of Americans believe the moon landing never happened.