Why are many American kids so ready to believe that the moon landings were faked?

Question

It is so sad that they cannot be proud of the most incredible human accomplishment so far.

It is so sad that armed with bogus information off the internet and no real knowledge of the actual events that they form their opinions.

It is sad that so many great men put their lives on the line for those missions and the kids of today pass it all off as a hoax.

It is so sad that these kids cannot clear their minds of this garbage to see that logically (didn't they all like Mr Spock's logic), logically, it is beyond all reason that you could either fool the 400,000 people that worked on Apollo over 9 years, or get them all to be in on it and keep quiet about it.

It is so sad that they can't think where or how the great army of subversive engineers, techicians, software experts and communications experts crept in unnoticed from the thousands of other experts, to do their subversive deed.

But it is most sad that the pride we felt through those times has not been passed down to the current generation.

Sara - did you actually read what I wrote?

Tell us how and when these people would have got into the computers and equipment to change the whole thing to a hoax. Did Glenn not go into space in 1961? Did Gemini not do docking exercises. Did Apollo 9 not orbit the moon?

It was all a process. It was controlled by the same people thougout. When did the hoaxers get in to it? Or was it a hoax from the start, and America never went into space at all. Because that's what it would take. it would have to have been a hoax right from 1961 with Glenn's flight.

Please kids go and read the real story. Please.

Answer 1

It's not just kids -- stupidity in the world is not reserved for one age group.

Answer 2

Nick,
Thanks for your question. It's one of the most appropriate ones I've read in a long time. It doesn't ask if we actually went ot the moon or if the landings were faked, it asks why do so many people believe that it was.

In my humble opinion, the problem is twofold. On the one hand you have many people in non-US friendly countries that loathe the very possiblility that the Americans could do something that they could not or would not do.
I spend a fair amount of time in the former Soviet Union countries and I am often asked if it is true. Not because the people are skeptics, but because at the time, the Soviet Gov't did not want to admit that the USA had done something so spectacular and had downplayed it or downright lied to say it was all a Hollywood Hoax.
On the other hand, in the USA, Americans are nuts about sensationalism. And what is more sensational, some interesting ariticles in history books about an event that took place before you were born, or the possiblility that there is some evil governement plot on the verge of being exposed right now? They not only tend to beleive the latter, they actually WANT to beleive it because it is exciting to them.
To the skeptics, I would pose this question: What are the odds that a hoax that was created almost 40 years ago could survive the scrutiny of the American media hounds for this long without being totally exposed?
Ask Bill Clinton how hard it is to keep some things a secret from the media.

Answer 3

Because more and more American kids are horribly ignorant, as the schools become worse and worse. And it's not the kids, it's also the adults.

With so many ignorant people it is pretty easy to sell lots of copies of a book making ridiculous claims, such as "since there is no air on the Moon, how could the flag have been flying" (when it was just a foil flag and there was a horizontal bit to make it look good).

The problem is that, back then, engineers and other smart and well educated people were the stars. Whereas today, the stars are some idiots on some pathetic reality TV shows.

Clearly none of this could have been faked, especially given the poor technology of the time. And even if by some miracle (traveling to the future, acquiring better technology, traveling back) it had been faked - do you think the Russians would have not pointed it out? Remember that there was an aggressive space race back then. Each camp was closely watching what happened to the other guy's spaceships.

This being said it's pretty scary for the future of the country over time: if an increasing part of the population becomes so ignorant, then either the country becomes totally uncompetitive and thus poorer over time. Or even if the country manages to remain competitive (by hiring enough well educated foreign engineers) then the ignorant and increasingly poor masses becaome an increasing problem in terms of poverty, violence, you name it - possibly endin with violent shantytowns around most cities, like in Latin America.

Answer 4

If you expect people to believe that what you say is true then you need to present the facts accurately
John Glenn's flight was 2/20/62 and lasted 3 orbits
Apollo 9 [McDivitt- Scott and Schweickart] was the first test of the Saturn V Command and Service modules and the lunar module in earth orbit. The flight lasted 10 days and was completely successful
I'm on your side on this one though. I find it incredible that a generation that has formed an almost symbiotic relationship with technology- rejects the basic science that created that technology
We have a whole population of people in America that willingly and enthusiastically embrace ideas that were proven to be false 300 or more years ago. Amazing, truly amazing
Five Thousand years from now , long after most of the crap that we think is so important today has long been forgotten.
July 20 1969 will be remembered as the day that human beings first set foot on another planet and that those human beings were Americans.

Answer 5

Speak it man. I really tire of dumb, moronic teens on this site and maybe even some adults who actually believe it was a hoax. Sara's answer was just the tip of the moron iceberg.

It's funny that, even though Sara has no damn clue what the Van Allen radiation belts are that she can use that as evidence. It's funny that she thinks those were real scientists on the FOX special she watched. It's funny that she believes conspiracy theories shown on FOX over the mountain of scientific findings from the Apollo years, Gemini, Mercury, even going to the Russian's Vostok, R-7, Voskhod, and other programs (Gagarin and Korolev are turning in their graves as we speak, not to mention Tsiolkovsky!). I mean, to deny the most obvious truth is the sign of sheer gullibility and stupidity.

The reason kids are so succeptible to these conspiracy theories is because they are imaginitive creatures. They will believe whatever excites the imagination the most, even if they have no evidence for their beliefs.

Sara, if you read this go pick up a book and read. I will even admit to you that I saw the same FOX special 6 or 7 years ago. And I too was drawn in, and actually believed some of the crap... but wait, then I went to college, got my degree in aerospace engineering, and now guess what? I have no doubt in my mind we went to the Moon. In fact, I am an engineer working on the new age of Moon rockets (Ares) that will bring us back. I only say these things because I hope you'll listen to someone with a little knowledge on the subject instead of conspiracy theorists who live in their parents' basements.

Answer 6

People who believe the moon landing may be faked often ask "how come we never went back" we did:
1969 -First manned landing on the Moon
1969 - First precise manned landing on the Moon.
1971 - Alan Shepard, the sole astronaut of the Mercury MR-3 mission, walks on the Moon.
1971 - First mission with the Lunar Rover vehicle.
1972 - First landing in the lunar highlands.
1972 - Final Apollo lunar mission, first night launch, only mission with a professional geologist.

I think people just believe what they see on TV and don't do any further research. All of the "evidence " used in the TV special has been disputed and is widely available.

Answer 7

I'm also stumped by how easily we are fooled by conspiracy theories. This week's Time quotes a survey where over 30% of Americans believe the government either knew about 9/11 in advance and allowed it to happen or actually knocked down the WTC and blamed the terrorists.

Not to mention the JFK conspiracy believers, those who think the Holocaust was a hoax, those who believe in the Bermuda Triangle, and on, and on, and on...

Answer 8

persons who trust the moon landings were a hoax must be referred to as being the smart ones. Did you no longer see the celebs and stripes fluttering contained in the breeze even as each body is acquainted with there is not any ecosystem on the moon. there have been various different discrepancies which i'm particular in case you want to understand the actuality you'll seem up.

Answer 9

When ever somebody accomplishes the great, the envious or spiteful will always find a way to either mock it or belittle it.

I think what ever the accomplishment might be, this always applies no matter what.

And it truly is the greatest thing to happen in history, in my opinion.

Answer 10

Those are the effects of a leftist worldwide campaign to discredit any American achievement, which is becoming "trendy" even inside the USA specially by the (self) so-called intellectuals.

Answer 11

One reason is that it's so much easier just to sit in front of the idiot box and believe everything that some so-called "documentary" spews forth. It's the ol' '...if it's on TV it must be true..' syndrome. It's just too much work to dig out the real truth.