The theory that the moon landings were hoaxed by the US government to assert their victory in the space race over Russia, is something which has grown in popularity over time.\r
Recent polls indicate that approximately 20% of Americans believe that the U.S. has never landed on the moon. After the Apollo missions ended in the seventies, why havent we ever been back? Only during the term of Richard Nixon did humanity ever land on the moon, and after Watergate most people wouldnt put it past Tricky Dick to fake them to put America in good standing in the Cold War.\r
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The Waving Flag\r
Conspiracy theorists have pointed out that when the first moon landing was shown on live television, viewers could clearly see the American flag waving and fluttering as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted it. Photos of the landing also seem to show rippling in a breeze, such as the image here which clearly shows a fold in the flag. The obvious problem here is that theres no air in the moons atmosphere, and therefore no wind to cause the flag to blow.\r
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Lack of Imp Crater\r
The claim goes as follows: had NASA really landed us on the moon, there would be a blast crater underneath the lunar module to mark its landing. On any video footage or photograph of the landings, no crater is visible, almost as though the module was simply placed there. The surface of the moon is covered in fine lunar dust, and even this doesnt seem to have been displaced in photographic evidence.\r
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Multiple Light Sources\r
On the moon there is only one strong light source: the Sun. So its fair to suggest that all shadows should run parallel to one another. But this was not the case during the moon landing: videos and photographs clearly show that shadows fall in different directions. Conspiracy theorists suggest that this must mean multiple light sources are present -suggesting that the landing photos were taken on a film set.\r
In the image here the lunar modules shadow clearly contradicts that of the rocks in the foreground at almost a 45 degree angle.\r
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The Van Allen Radiation Belt\r
In order to reach the moon, astronauts had to pass through what is known as the Van Allen radiation belt. The belt is held in place by Earths magnetic field and stays perpetually in the same place. The Apollo missions to the moon marked the first ever attempts to transport living humans through the belt. Conspiracy theorists contend that the sheer levels of radiation would have cooked the astronauts en route to the moon, despite the layers of aluminum coating the interior and exterior of the spaceship.\r
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The Unexplained Object\r
After photographs of the moon landings were released, theorists were quick to notice a mysterious object (shown above) in the reflection of an astronauts helmet from the Apollo 12 mission. The object appears to be hanging from a rope or wire and has no reason to be there at all, leading some to suggest it is an overhead spotlight typically found in film studios.\r
The resemblance is questionable, given the poor quality of the photograph, but the mystery remains as to why something is being suspended in mid-air (or rather lack of air) on the moon. The lunar module in other photos appears to have no extension from it that matches the photo, so the object still remains totally unexplained.\r
Lack of Stars\r
One compelling argument for the moon landing hoax is the total lack of stars in any of the photographic/video evidence. There are no clouds on the moon, so stars are perpetually visible and significantly brighter than what we see through the filter of Earths atmosphere.\r
The argument here is that NASA would have found it impossible to map out the ex locations of all stars for the hoax without being rumbled, and therefore left them out – intentionally falling back on an excuse that the quality of the photographs washes them out (an excuse they did ually give).\r
Some photographs are high-quality, however, and yet still no stars are shown. Certainly eerie, considering you can take pictures of stars from Earth in much lower quality and still see them.\r
The “C” Rock\r
One of the most famous photos from the moon landings shows a rock in the foreground, with what appears to be the letter “C” engraved into it. The letter appears to be almost perfectly symmetrical, meaning it is unlikely to be a natural occurrence. It has been suggested that the rock is simply a prop, with the “C” used as a marker by an alleged film crew. A set designer could have turned the rock the wrong way, accidentally exposing the marking to the camera.\r
NASA has given conflicting excuses for the letter, on the one hand blaming a photographic developer for adding the letter as a prical joke, while on the other hand saying that it may simply