Some people think the moon landing was faked because of distrust of government, misunderstandings about photos, and conspiracy theories. Evidence strongly shows it happened.
Why the claims persist
- Distrust of government.
- Misunderstanding of photos (no stars, flag “waving”).
- Cold War politics.
- The 1978 film Capricorn One and conspiracy media.
Evidence it was real
- 842 pounds of lunar rock samples.
- Retroreflectors still used today.
- Independent tracking by other countries, including the Soviet Union.
- Images of the landing sites from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Polls
About 5% of Americans doubt the landing.
Specific claims and rebuttals
Claims include “the flag waves” (the flag had a horizontal rod and moved when astronauts twisted the pole, with no air to damp it), “no stars in photos” (exposures were set for the bright lunar surface, which hides faint stars), and “shadows are not parallel” (uneven terrain and wide-angle lenses distort them).
- Apollo missions left retroreflectors on the Moon, and observatories still bounce lasers off them to measure distance within centimeters.
- Astronauts brought back 382 kg (842 pounds) of lunar samples, studied by scientists in many countries and showing features such as zero water-formed minerals and cosmic-ray exposure.
- About 400,000 people worked on Apollo, and independent trackers, including the Soviet Union, followed the missions.
- The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed landing sites, showing descent stages and astronaut tracks.
Polls and context
A 1999 Gallup poll found 6 percent of Americans doubted the landings. Later surveys in other countries show similar low-single to mid-single digit figures, though some online polls differ. Doubt grew after the 1976 booklet “We Never Went to the Moon” by Bill Kaysing, and the 1978 film Capricorn One.
Common claims and facts
Claims include that shadows are inconsistent and no stars are visible. Shadows differ due to uneven terrain and wide angle lenses, and stars are not visible because of short exposure times. Retroreflectors left by Apollo 11, 14 and 15 are still used by observatories to measure the Earth-Moon distance. Apollo missions returned 382 kg of lunar samples.
Polls
A 2019 YouGov poll found that about 6 percent of Americans doubted the landing. Independent tracking by the Soviet Union and amateur observers confirmed the missions. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed Apollo landing sites.
Evidence confirming Apollo
Apollo astronauts left laser retroreflector arrays on the Moon, and observatories still bounce lasers off them to measure the Earth Moon distance to within millimeters. The Moon recedes about 3.8 cm per year. Lunar samples show unique features, such as no water in minerals and radiometric ages up to 4.5 billion years, which labs worldwide have studied. Independent observers, including the Soviet Union and amateur radio operators, tracked the missions.
Claims often repeated
The flag appears to wave because it had a horizontal rod and moved when astronauts twisted the pole. Shadows converge or diverge because of uneven ground and perspective. The Van Allen belts were crossed quickly on a path that limited dose to about 0.2 rad average, according to NASA analyses. LRO images since 2009 show landing sites and astronaut tracks.
Based on data from NASA and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission
