Almost everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. It sells movies. It writes blogs. It captures attention. We love conspiracy theories too. We admit our part in fueling the discussion, and possibly the breakdown of modern society.
Ok, that last part was an exaggeration. Still, the point holds true. Why else would you be reading this if you weren’t the slightest bit curious?
At the top of our list is the famous theory that NASA faked the moon landings in 1969. Did the flag move because of the non-existent wind? Were there strings attached to the astronauts as they bounced around the moon’s surface? Were all those shadows just a neat movie trick in a Hollywood studio? The list goes on and on.
In our view, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of NASA. Neil took that giant leap for mankind. Buzz planted that flag on the moon. Stanley Kubrick didn’t pull off the hoax of a lifetime.
Why does this theory stick around? Perhaps it’s the obsession that the government is always lying to us. This historic event did take place during the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. It was important for the Unites States to show tremendous achievements. We had something to prove to the world. America is always number one. We proved it by landing on the moon.
The doubt starts when watching the video footage of Neil climbing down the ladder and doesn’t stop until Apollo 11 signs off after splashdown in the ocean. Let’s tackle of few of these points and you can make up your own mind. The first one is Buzz’s flag.
If you watch the video, you can clearly see Buzz plant the flag into the surface. We won’t call it the moon yet. Since we’re in space, and space is a vacuum, the flag isn’t supposed to move like the wind is blowing it. It should fall straight down.
Footage clearly shows the flag on full display. It also shows it moving. The conspiracy theorists call this the gotcha moment. Flags don’t move in a vacuum. Why was it moving? That’s the question. A closer look shows Buzz Aldrin twisting the flag pole. This creates the movement, not some wind. Second, the flag actually has a rod running through the top. NASA knows that a flag wouldn’t stand out proudly without a frame. They’re rocket scientists. Sad trombones for the conspiracy theorists.
Let’s move on to the astronauts bouncing around the surface. The conspiracy theorists claim that there are strings attached to them, and the “bouncing” is because they are on a sound stage in Hollywood. Stanley Kubrick is even there directing the entire production. Can you see the strings? We can’t. If there weren’t any strings, and the astronauts weren’t on the moon, how are they weightless?
It’s NASA’s zero-gravity plane, of course. Part of this was filmed in that. The problem is, NASA didn’t have a zero-gravity plane in 1969. Flights started in 1973. Sad trombones again for the conspiracy theorists.
We’ve already hit on our favorite part of this theory, Stanley Kubrick and his monumental directorial effort. For those of you that don’t know, Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest directors in the history of film. That’s not exaggeration. Full Metal Jacket. Enough said.
Did he really sign on to produce this elaborate hoax on the world? The more people involved in a conspiracy, the harder it is to keep the secret. To this point, we have all of NASA, the astronauts, their families, and now all the people it would take to create a movie pulling off the hoax of a lifetime. Count us as skeptics. But it does make a good movie, or a blog post.
Since we’re in the business of covert things, we couldn’t ignore this famous conspiracy. But now we want to hear from you – do you think the moon landing is a massive coverup or do you think it really happened? Head to our Facebook page and weigh in!