Who was the first person or persons to start the Moon landing conspiracy and why?

Question

I just wondered who started the moonlandings conspiracy and what was their purpose in doing so.
and also why is it that some people still doubt we went to the moon?

Answer 1

Hello jb! I can answer this question based on the fact that I remember the first moon landing like it was yesterday ( I was 7 years old). The truth is that these rumors sprang up from the general populace IMMEDIATELY as the moon landings were being broadcast. Because of the lighting on the lunar surface, the lack of atmosphere to show as background (we're used to blue sky on earth), and the clunky appearance of the lunar lander, the telecasts DID APPEAR fakish. They looked almost like they were being filmed from a darkened soundstage somewhere.

It was this general lack of understanding of the conditions of the lunar surface by the common citizen that caused the start of the conspiracy theories. My father was especially suspicious of the camera angle of the initial Armstrong descent. He was convinced that someone had to have placed the camera away from the lander prior to the filming of the "small step".

Also, during the telecasts, at times when there was no actual footage coming from the moon, the networks (or NASA) had breakaway "simulation" footage to show what was going on at the moment. These simulations looked remarkably like the actual footage. Remember, most TV's were still black and white, so subtle color clues were absent from what most people watched. So, other than the word "Simulation" at the bottom of the screen, most people saw little difference between the actual footage and the simulations.

Taken in this regard, the original conspiracy theories are pretty understandable. Though we can look back now with humor, it's not hard to see how it originally happened.

Answer 2

There are some fascinating answers above, and clearly there are a variety of different perceptions of the "anti-moon-landing" conspiracy.

I also remember the Eagle landing as if it was yesterday. I was 24.

The first time I ever heard that the moon landing was faked was from a popular TV evangelist, now discredited, named Jimmy Swaggart. This was about 1980. Jimmy was upset because if the universe is constructed the way it is described in the Judeo-Christian Bible, particularly Genesis, Joshua, and the Psalms, then a trip to the moon is not possible.

Therefore, if you read the Bible as a literal description of natural history, the moon landings must have been faked as part of a conspiracy against the Bible. Or at least that's what Brother Jimmy thought. This was before he was photographed coming out of a motel room with a hooker. Poor old Jimmy.

But while the Flat Earth society and the general incomprehension of the American people all play a role in this kind of foolishness, we must remember that news travels fast through the evangelical religious network, too.

Answer 3

I suppose people doubt we went to the moon for many reasons and I certainly don't know all of them. . .

However I watched a film called "Something funny happened on the way to the moon" which shows film footage recorded on the moon mission. It's really interesting stuff and there's not a lot in it to convince you of any wrong doings apart from one section about half way through. The astronauts have set up the shuttle so it looks as though they are miles away from earth but when they finish the "official" filming and leave a camera running you can see that they are really much closer to earth than they said...

Whilst it didn't fully convince me of a moon landing conspiracy it certainly made me think about it more.

This doesn't make much sense I know but the best thing to do is watch the film, it's only an hour long and you get to see some original film footage of astronauts in space.

-=D=-

Answer 4

All the buzz about the Moon began on February 15th 2001 when Fox television aired a program called Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? Guests on the show argued that NASA technology in the 1960's wasn't up to the task of a real Moon landing. Instead, anxious to win the Space Race any way it could, NASA acted out the Apollo program in movie studios. Neil Armstrong's historic first steps on another world, the rollicking Moon Buggy rides, even Al Shepard's arcing golf shot over Fra Mauro-- it was all a fake!


Fox should stick to making cartoons!!!!I'm a big fan of The Simpsons!!!!!

Answer 5

It was the flat earth society. When we came back with photos of the round earth from space and the moon, they contended that the photo's were faked in a lab and a studio and that the earth was not round. Then that wonderful science source, the Fox network did their stupid show on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_Society

Answer 6

Probably either politicians disgruntled with budget re-allocations, or maybe the russian commies. It was a space race after all...kennedy wanted the U.S. to get there first, and by faking the landing, it would look like we beat the russians.