Have we really been to the Moon? (part I)
I was out for a drink with a
bunch of people the other day, and I started talking to a friend of mine about
the conspiracy theorists, namely those who don't believe we actually landed on
the Moon. While this in itself is a laughing matter, we decided it would be
quite practical to write a post which debunks this particular conspiracy
theory, and then simply point the people who ask questions to the post, thus
gaining some free time to actually do something we consider more valuable than
explaining the same things over and over again. I will do this in several parts, though, since I'm too lazy to write one really huge post. So, here is the list of some of
the questions we've all heard many times, with appropriate answers (if you find
some answer incomplete or unclear, ask and you shall be answered).
* * *
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| Apollo 17's Eugene Cernan with the flag. On the Moon. |
The flag is waving! How can it be waving if there's
no wind on the Moon?! Ha!
As one of the most common misconceptions about the Moon landing, this one is also my personal favorite. Not because it's more logical or correct than the others, of course, but merely because I like flags. Especially those on the Moon. In answer to this one - no, the flag is not waving. It does appear to be waving on the images, but that's quite easy to explain. The flag was folded while in transfer, and it remained rippled after it was placed. I also heard people asking how can it stay horizontally and why doesn't it fall down. I usually just facepalm on these, but to answer it anyway, the flag hangs from a Г-shaped rod. Please try to imagine why it's not falling down.
 |
| OMG THE FLAG SHE IS MOVING NO WAIT SHE IS NOT |
* * *
During the first landing, there were only two astronauts on the surface, but you can never see any one of them holding the camera. So who took the photos?!
Yes, that's an actual question. Kinda logical one, too. Easy to answer? Absolutely. The cameras were strapped to their chests, so that their hands could remain free for the rest of their working hours. Besides, they had visors over their heads, so they couldn't get the viewfinder close to their eyes even if they tried. Makes more sense to keep the camera on one's chest, then, doesn't it?
* * *
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| Apollo 11, East Crater Panorama |
There are no stars in the sky! Ha ha, there must be stars in the sky or EVERYTHING IS FAKE!
Again, nope. First of all, with the combined glow of the Sun itself and the surface of the Moon, which is very reflective, the glare would block the light of the stars. Second of all, the astronauts used very fast exposure times, 1/150th and 1/125th of a second. At this speed, incoming background light is quite limited. So, no stars on the sky is no sign of the hoax. Sorry.
The shadows from the rocks point in different direction than the shadow from the lander! This seems like a huge thing until you realize that the rocks are located on a small hill, so the shadows are actually falling on a slope, which changes their direction. Very simple.
Again, nope. First of all, with the combined glow of the Sun itself and the surface of the Moon, which is very reflective, the glare would block the light of the stars. Second of all, the astronauts used very fast exposure times, 1/150th and 1/125th of a second. At this speed, incoming background light is quite limited. So, no stars on the sky is no sign of the hoax. Sorry.
* * *
The lander would sink into the dust when it touched the surface!
What.
* * *
While landing, the lander would lift a huge cloud of dust and make a huge crater.
No. Except if you base your expectations of a lunar landing on some B-grade science fiction flick. Then, yes. But seriously, the lander approached the surface not only vertically - it also moved horizontally, approaching the landing site at an angle. Its engines were throttled backwards just before the landing, and the descent engine only had to support the lander's own weight, which was lessened due to lower gravitational pull of the Moon, and almost emptied propellant tank. So no huge jets of fire and whatever you're expecting would be blasting downwards from the lander, thus the crater is really a silly thing to expect.
* * *
Lighting is all messed up! Some shadows go this way, some that way, which means there are several lighting sources! I told you it was made in a studio...
Of course there are several lighting sources! There's the Sun, the Earth (which does not emit light, of course, but it reflects that coming from the Sun), the lander (which is also reflective), the suits (which are also also reflective), and the surface of the Moon itself (which is also also also reflective). You also have to take into account that some shadows seem to be pointing in the wrong direction simply because the surface is not flat! And while this would be easy to notice on Earth, on the Moon you have a bit of a problem because of the colors. The surface of the Moon is grey, very grey: it consists mostly of different shades of grey. And this is a huge problem for our eyes. Basically you have this huge optical illusion where everything seems wrong! What seems like a small near-by hill is actually a mountain very far away, but you can't notice that because the atmosphere is very clear, the moon is small and EVERYTHING IS GODDAMN GREY so you just don't have the same level of depth perception as you would down on Earth. You can see this here:
* * *
Okay, that's it for today. I said I was too lazy to write a huge post, sorry. More answers in some of the next posts. If you have questions, please ask them in the comment section. If you want to read more, here are some links:
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