Live from the moon, it’s… NASA?

One of the classic conspiracy theories of our time is that man’s first steps on the moon were faked:

We learned in history class that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, famously saying, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” on July 20, 1969.

BuzzFeedBlue / Via youtube.com

Ever since Neil Armstrong hopped off that ladder, some people have questioned whether the moon landing really happened.

The first major rumblings of a conspiracy began in 1974 when a technical writer for a rocket engine company contracted by NASA wrote a book claiming that in 1969, NASA wasn't technologically advanced enough to safely land humans on the moon. Some people at the time thought the author's connection with this company gave credence to the theory, but it's fair to note that his job had nothing to do with planning the Apollo mission.

NASA / Via nasa.gov

There are some valid questions to explore about the moon landing, though...

Conspiracy theorists claim that the U.S. government faked the moon landing to ensure that they won the space race with the Russians. A 1999 Gallup poll found that 6% of respondents believed the moon landing had been faked.

Common theories assert that the moon landing was filmed either in Area 51 or in Hollywood. There's also been a popular conspiracy theory alleging that award-winning director Stanley Kubrick actually directed the faked lunar landings.

Why was the American flag waving in the wind? There's no wind in space!

The simple answer is - inertia. You remember, that thing from physics class? An object in motion remains in motion unless an outside force affects it. The force from the astronauts putting the flag into the ground caused the flag to move, and the lack of gravity and atmosphere meant there wasn't a force to immediately stop it. No wind necessary.

NASA's Apollo 11 Image Library / Via history.nasa.gov

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