Was the Apollo Moon Landing a Conspiracy Hoax - Essay Example

MOON HOAX   Strange ideas and misconceptions slip into astronomy perhaps more than any of the other sciences. Surveys have often found that even college graduates carry unreliable ideas or even completely wrong ideas about the phases of the moon or the cause of the seasons or why the sky is blue. For the last few years, a number of prominent astronomers have found themselves battling a flood of conspiracy theories regarding the moon landings, as the internet has opened up chat rooms and websites for amateur theorists to chew the cud. Its important that real scientists fight back against misconceptions as these strange ideas have a real possibility of undermining peoples belief in science and the credibility of scientific authorities. The goal of this analysis will be to examine the culture surrounding the moon landing hoax controversy and look at some of the possible explanations for why this theory is gaining popularity. To begin with, it is interesting to take a close look at the American educational system to see just how much elementary astronomy is not taught, or not taught well. The average person is unable to answer straightforward questions such as “Why is the sky blue?” or “How long does it take for light from the sun to reach the Earth?” Because of the quantity of scientific illiteracy in this day and age it should be surprised that conspiracy theorists are able to seize a large part of the public attentions on questions such as the moon landing—one of the signal scientific achievements of the 20th century. This is a sad situation. Specific instances of incorrect astronomical knowledge among regular people are not cause for concern. Not everyone is going to care about outer space. But like in other sciences, the general public often displays a pattern of misconception and ignorance on these issues, and with astronomy in particular is more than willing to believe wild claims such as alien visitation and moon landing hoax theories. The problem with so many conspiracy theories or claims of well-organized hoaxes, however, is that they can never agree on exactly who did what, when, and why. For those 9/11 truthers out there there as many reasons for the conspiracy as there are grains of sand. Likewise for the moon landing hoax. It is a cottage industry without any professional credibility. A lot of it has to do with resentment and hatred of the government which some people believe is an all powerful, malign force. Events like Watergate and the build up to the Iraq War do not inspire much confidence in people, but most historians and political observers see these events as isolated incidents or even undirected actions. Conspiracy theorists, however, see a moving finger behind everything that happens in the world. Take for example this sample of moon hoax rhetoric: The Apollo record, as it currently stands, is not the sum of the whole but only the part that has been revealed to the public—until now. Irrespective of individual opinions as to the validity of the exploration of space, to dismiss the Apollo Space Project because it was too long ago, or unimportant, is to permit a history based on a false premise to stand unchallenged. In so doing we become the slaves of an elite who it seems will stop at nothing to achieve their aims—and the one firm objective they hold is the domination of this planet via the medium of space. (Bennett, 4) Perhaps the science of the landing could be dispute, but the idea that we are being made into “slave of an elite” who want to take over the universe is ridiculous. It is intended to capture the attention of gullible individuals who lack imagination. The moon landing was a daring and impressive feat, but everyone who knows anything about science will confirm it happened. Theorist will level accusations against those who support the “orthodoxy,” claiming they have been bought off or brainwashed, but there is no unity to their theory—just the scribblings of many isolated, resentful, and lonely people. It is always interesting to examine the reasons why people embrace such theories. Most of these people lack political power in the first place, which can help explain why they seek it through mass communication and an effort to convince others to follow their own ideas. They feel empowered by “taking on” the government and establishment. Delusions of grandeur soon follow. Another important element to consider is the hobby aspect of the moon hoax. This is a kind of mystery that people can spend hours devoting themselves to in an effort to unravel it all. Every new detail they find out about can be added to the hypothesis they are building. This people are playing at science using the same basic framework of real scientists to deduct facts and conclusions, but their standards are much lower and they are much more easily swayed by extraneous information. They feel themselves becoming a part of history as they delve into the minutiae of the momentous occasion. They feel themselves becoming important. A feeling perhaps they have never felt before in any of their other endeavours. As one writer would later say of conspiracy theorists, all the confounding facts of the momentous occasion are “examined like runes and held up to the light like talismans, small shards of some awful psychic puzzle” (Cocks). This is a very useful statement as it shows us the propensity of some people to come up with myths and fantasies when they have difficulty believing what the government tells them. They latch on to extremely complex theories. For the moon landing conspiracy thousands of people would have to be involved, but no one has ever come forward with hard evidence. The complexity of the hoax would require much more work than actually sending someone to the moon. And the implications of such a conspiracy—the government is massively lying to its citizens and with impunity—beggars belief. The truth is that in cases like this we should turn to Occam’s Razor: The simplest explanation is usually the right one. Detectives use it to deduce whos the likeliest suspect in a murder case -- you know, the butler did it. Doctors ­use it to determine the illness behind a set of symptoms. This line of reasoning is called Occams razor. Its used in a wide variety of ways throughout the world as a means to slice through a problem or situation and eliminate unnecessary elements. When weighing evidence and cause and effect, this is an important principle that can tell us a lot. There is a lot of money and fun to be had making up stories about conspiracies and shadowy groups and injecting political intrigue into everything; the truth is often a lot less interesting. The moon landing hoax conspiracy theory is just one of many theories out there involving NASA. Others suggest that the U.S. government has known about extraterrestrials for years and is plotting with them. The various theories differ in the elaborateness of their fantasy and the particulars, but they all have a great deal of scientific ignorance at their core. However, ignorance is not what motivates them. The people who come up with these theories are often motivated by loneliness and resentment with a good dose of paranoia thrown in. They are obsessive and are vocal. The sad fact is they gain more attention all the time. Scientists must fight back and put the truth before the people. References Bennett, Mary, et al. Dark Moon. New York: Adventures Unlimited, 2001. Cocks, Jay. “The Last Day in the Life.” Time Magazine. Dec 22, 1980. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924600-2,00.html Ramsay, Robin. Conspiracy Theories. New York: Pocket Essentials, 2006. Mindell, David A. Digital Apollo. Boston: MIT Press, 2008. Woods, W. David. How Apollo Flew to the Moon (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration). New York: Praxis, 2008. Read More