Why was Apollo's Moon landing doubted?

In the history of human space exploration, the Apollo program is certainly a glorious chapter.

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, beginning man's first journey to the Moon. Armstrong and Aldrin became the first people to set foot on the Moon. However, with the accomplishment of this feat, countless doubts and conspiracy theories were born. 

One of the most famous interviews occurred in 2002, when a man named Bart Sibrel publicly questioned the Apollo missions and asked Aldrin (then 72 years old) to swear on the Bible. Aldrin refused the request, and Bart Sibrel's constant harassment (accusing Aldrin of lying about the Apollo 11 Moon landing) finally caused Aldrin to punch him in an emotional fit.

This scene immediately became America's biggest hot news. Countless people couldn't help but wonder, why didn't Aldrin dare to swear on the Bible? Did Aldrin really never set foot on the Moon? Some people even think they have "irrefutable evidence" that can expose the truth. So have humans ever set foot on the Moon?

NASA astronaut and flag on the Moon.

Question 1: Why can the flag wave?

There are several explanations why the American flag appeared to be waving during the Apollo Moon landing mission:

First , although the Moon has no atmosphere and therefore no wind, engineers wanted to ensure that the flag would still fly on the atmosphere-less Moon, so it was designed to have can be opened and has a special flagpole. This flagpole differs from the Earth design in that it has a horizontal bar at the top. The purpose of this horizontal bar is to support the flag, which can be spread out.

Second, when astronauts plant a flag on the Moon's surface, they may use too much force, causing the flagpole to wobble. Because the Moon has no air resistance, this oscillation lasts longer than on Earth, creating the illusion of a waving flag. Additionally, the astronauts may have encountered difficulty raising the flag, resulting in the horizontal bars not being fully deployed. This causes the sections of the flag to overlap, forming folds. Although there is really no wind on the Moon. These folds will also create the illusion that the flag is waving. The combined impact of these factors creates the effect we see.

The moon has no wind, so why can the flag wave?

Question 2: There are no stars in the photo

The main reason you can't see a star in a photo is because of your camera's settings. When astronauts took pictures on the Moon's surface, their cameras were set to capture the view of the Moon's surface, rather than the faint starlight in the sky. Because the Moon has no atmosphere, sunlight shines directly on the Moon's surface, making the Moon's surface very bright.

To clearly capture the Moon's surface and the astronauts, the camera's exposure time had to be short and relatively faint stars could not be captured. Additionally, it should be noted that the main operations during the Moon landing were all carried out during the 'daylight' of the Moon. Due to the strong sunlight and reflection, it is impossible to capture the light of the stars, because the light of the stars is too weak.

And the film used in the Apollo missions was no ordinary film . They were specially customized by Kodak for space missions, with special emulsions and film bases that allowed them to perform well in the extreme temperatures of the Moon's surface.

Question 3: The astronauts' footprints are not consistent with the soles of the spacesuits

NASA astronaut's footprints on the Moon.

'Footprints on the Moon ' is an important witness and memory of the Apollo moon landing, and is also the focus of attack by conspiracy theorists. Because there is no air on the Moon, strong air currents do not form. Sand grains on the Moon will not be weathered or eroded but still retain their sharp, angular shape. Such sand grains easily leave clear footprints.

Because the Moon has no atmosphere or liquid water, this trace could last for millions of years. There are several reasons why an astronaut's footprints don't match their spacesuit.

First , during the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong and the other astronauts wore Apollo spacesuits, but they also wore galoshes with special soles, the markings on these overshoes resembling Just like footprints on the Moon.

Second,  the galoshes are not on display in the museum because they were left on the Moon to reduce the weight of the lunar module's ascent stage.

 There are several reasons why an astronaut's footprints don't match their spacesuit.

Question 4: How to pass through the Van Allen radiation belt

To reach the Moon, astronauts must pass through the Van Allen radiation belt. The Van Allen radiation belts are tire-shaped radiation layers formed by the accumulation of large amounts of charged particles surrounding the Earth in near-Earth space, discovered by American physicist James Van Allen and named after him.

However, NASA took some measures to protect astronauts from radiation during the Apollo missions.

First , the Apollo spacecraft's orbit was carefully designed to pass through thinner areas of the radiation belt, thereby reducing the radiation dose the astronauts received. Additionally, the design of the Apollo spacecraft included radiation shielding, specifically the use of aluminum coating in key areas, to further reduce the effects of radiation on the astronauts.

Second , the Apollo spacecraft traveled through the Van Allen radiation belt for a very short time, which also helped limit the total radiation dose the astronauts received. In fact, the radiation dose the astronauts received during the mission was equivalent to the dose needed for some medical X-rays on Earth and much lower than the level that can cause serious harm to the body. human.

Therefore, despite the high radiation intensity of the Van Allen radiation belt, through careful mission planning and spacecraft design, astronauts can still pass through this region safely. completely and complete the journey to the Moon.

The Van Allen belt was discovered by American physicist James Van Allen and named after him.

During the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission, the Soviet Union's Lunar 15 probe also landed not far away. In addition, to avoid collisions between the two lunar vehicles, the Soviet Union revealed the orbital parameters of Luna 15 at the request of the United States.

Additionally, modern lunar probes, such as India's Chandrayaan-2 and China's Chang'e-2, have photographed the remains of the Apollo Moon landing site, including the astronauts' feet and traces of the lunar probe. These convincing evidence prove the occurrence and authenticity of the Apollo Moon landing mission.