How many American astronauts have walked on the moon? What really happened when NASA astronauts landed on the moon? (8 photos)
Jun 2, 2015
Space exploration in the middle of the last century was an extremely important matter for world powers, because it directly testified to their strength and power. The priority of developments in the space industry was not only not hidden from citizens, but, on the contrary, was emphasized in every possible way, instilling a sense of respect and pride for their country.
Despite the desire of many countries to take part in this difficult and interesting task, the main serious struggle took place between two superpowers - the Soviet Union and the United States of America.
The first victories in the space race were for the USSR
The series of successes of the Soviet cosmonautics became an open challenge to the United States, forcing America to speed up work in the field of space exploration and find a way to beat its main competitor, the USSR.
- the first artificial earth satellite - Soviet Sputnik-1 (October 4, 1957) USSR;
- the first flights of animals into space - the astronaut dog Laika, the first animal launched into Earth orbit! (1954 - November 3, 1957) USSR;
- the first manned flight into space - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (April 12, 1961).
And yet, the competition for space continued!
First people on the moon
Today, almost everyone knows that America managed to seize the initiative in the space race by launching its astronauts on. The first manned spacecraft to successfully land on the moon back in 1969 was the American spacecraft Apollo 11, with a crew of astronauts on board: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.
Many of you remember the photo of Armstrong proudly planting the US flag on the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969. The American government was triumphant that it had managed to overtake the Soviet space pioneers in conquering the Moon. But history is full of conjectures and assumptions, and some facts haunt critics and scientists to this day. And to this day, the question is being discussed that the American ship, in all likelihood, reached the Moon, took it, but did the astronauts actually land on its surface? There is a whole caste of skeptics and critics who do not believe in the American landing on the Moon, however, let’s leave this skepticism to their conscience.
However, the Soviet spacecraft Luna-2 reached the Moon for the first time on September 13, 1959, that is, Soviet spacecraft ended up on the Moon 10 years earlier than the landing of American cosmonauts on the Earth’s satellite. And therefore it is especially offensive that few people know about the role of Soviet designers, physicists, and cosmonauts in the exploration of the Moon.
But a huge amount of work was done, and the results were achieved much earlier than Armstrong’s victorious march. The USSR pennant was delivered to the surface of the Moon a decade before man set foot on its surface. On September 13, 1959, the Luna 2 space station reached the planet for which it was named. The world's first spacecraft to reach the Moon (the Luna-2 space station) landed on the surface of the Moon in the Mare Mons region near the craters Aristyllus, Archimedes and Autolycus.
A completely logical question arises: if the Luna-2 station reached the Earth’s satellite, then there should have been Luna-1 as well? There was, but its launch, carried out a little earlier, turned out to be not so successful and, having flown past the Moon... But even with this outcome, very significant scientific results were obtained during the flight of the Luna-1 station:
- Using ion traps and particle counters, the first direct measurements of solar wind parameters were made.
- Using an onboard magnetometer, the Earth's outer radiation belt was recorded for the first time.
- It was established that the Moon does not have a significant magnetic field.
- The Luna-1 spacecraft became the first spacecraft in the world to reach the second escape velocity.
The launch participants were awarded the Lenin Prize; the people did not know their heroes by name, but the common cause - the honor of the country - was a priority.
USA lands first people on the moon
What about the USA? Yuri Gagarin's flight into space was a serious blow for America, and in order not to remain forever in the shadow of the Russians, a goal was set - and although the Americans lost the race to land the first spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, they had a chance to be the first to land astronauts on the Earth's satellite ! Work on improving the spacecraft, spacesuits and the necessary equipment proceeded by leaps and bounds, the American government attracted all the intellectual and technical potential of the country, and, without skimping, spent billions of dollars on development. All NASA resources were mobilized and thrown into the furnace of science for a great purpose.
The step of an American citizen to the Moon is the only opportunity to emerge from the shadows, to catch up with the Soviet Union in this race. It is possible that America would not have been able to realize its ambitious plans, but at that time there was a change in the party leader in the USSR, and the leading designers - Korolev and Chelomey - could not come to a common opinion. Korolev, being an innovator by nature, was inclined to use the latest engine developments, while his colleague advocated for the old, but proven Proton. Thus, the initiative was lost and the first to officially set foot on the surface of the Moon were American astronauts.
Did the USSR give up in the lunar race?
Even though Soviet cosmonauts failed to land on the Moon in the 20th century, the USSR did not give up in the race to explore the Moon. So already in 1970, the automatic interplanetary station “Luna-17” carried on board the world’s first, unprecedented, planetary rover, capable of fully operating in conditions of a different gravity of the moon. It was called “Lunokhod-1” and was intended to study the surface, properties and composition of the soil, radioactive and x-ray radiation of the Moon. Work on it was carried out at the Khimki Machine-Building Plant named after. S.A. Lavochkin, led by Babakin Nikolai Grigorievich. The sketch was ready in 1966, and all design documentation was completed by the end of the next year.
Lunokhod 1 was delivered to the surface of the Earth's satellite in November 1970. The control center was located in Simferopol, in the Space Communications Center and included the control panel of the crew commander, the lunar rover driver, the antenna operator, the navigator, and the operational information processing room. The main problem was the signal time delay, which interfered with full control. The Lunokhod worked there for almost a year, until September 14, it was on this day that the last, successful communication session took place.
The Lunokhod did a great job of studying the planet entrusted to it, working much longer than planned. A huge number of photographs, lunar panoramas, etc. were transmitted to Earth. Years later, in 2012, the International Astronomical Union gave names to all twelve craters encountered on the path of Lunokhod 1 - they received male names.
By the way, in 1993, “Lunokhod 1” was put up for auction at Sotheby’s, the stated price was five thousand dollars. The auction ended at a much higher amount - sixty-eight and a half thousand US dollars; the buyer was the son of one of the American astronauts. It is characteristic that the precious lot rests on the territory of the Moon; in 2013 it was discovered in photographs taken by an orbital American probe.
To summarize, it can be noted that the first people to land on the Moon (1969) were the Americans, here is a list of US astronauts who landed: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin , John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt. Neil Armstrong lived a long life and died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82, still retaining the title of the first man to set foot on the moon...
But the first spaceships that conquered the Moon (1959) were Soviet; here the primacy undoubtedly belongs to the Soviet Union and Russian designers and engineers.
Apollo 11 - 2 people
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first man to set foot on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. The lunar landing could hardly be called a “soft landing”; Armstrong had to manually land the Lunar Module as the planned landing site turned out to be strewn with boulders. Together with Aldrin monitoring altitude and speed, as well as a nearly empty fuel tank, they landed safely on the Moon at Tranquility Base (that’s what they called their landing site on the Moon).In total, Neil and Buzz spent 21 hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds on the lunar surface (both inside and outside the module), and the total duration of walks on the Sea of Tranquility (as they nicknamed the area in which they worked) was 2 hours, 31 minute and 40 seconds. During their lunar activity, they collected rocks, planted a US flag, installed a seismograph and a Lunar Angle Reflector - a device for measuring the distances between the Earth and the Moon using lasers directed from the Earth, which is still used today.
Apollo 12 - 2 people
The next lunar walkers were Pete Conrad and Alan Bean during the Apollo 12 mission. On November 14, 1969, the team suffered two lightning strikes during the launch of the Saturn V rocket. Powerful shocks knocked out the power and control systems, but thanks to the quick response of the Mission Control Center and Binu, everything was soon restored.The Apollo 12 team proved its precision landing skills by landing just 185 meters from the unmanned Surveyor 3 spacecraft. During one of their walks, Conrad and Bean, passing by the Surveyor, dismantled several of its parts for further analysis on Earth. In total, the astronauts spent two days on the Moon, November 19 and 20, 1969.
Apollo 13 - 0 people
The next lunar mission was supposed to be Apollo 13, but due to the fact that two days after the launch the oxygen tank on the spare module of the spacecraft exploded, the crew was never able to land on the Moon. What followed was a heroically harrowing and spectacular rescue operation.Apollo 14 - 2 people
Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, who were part of the Apollo 14 mission, successfully landed on the moon. They launched on January 31, 1971 and landed on February 5 at Fra Mauro, the site originally planned for Apollo 13. Shepard and Mitchell made two exits; in the first, they conducted a series of seismic experiments to study possible earthquakes on the Moon, using a modular cart to transport equipment and samples.During the second, they attempted to reach a crater named Cone, but with no visible landmarks in the rocky, repeating landscape, they were unable to find it. Later analysis, combining images taken by the astronauts with orbital ones, determined that the couple was only 20 meters away. During his time on the Moon, Shepard managed to open a golf club and hit a couple of balls. Mitchell joined in, throwing a moonsault like a spear.
Apollo 15 - 2 people
David Scott and James Irwin landed on the moon on July 31, 1971, as part of the Apollo 15 mission, staying for three days until August 2. Unlike previous missions, which landed on the flat lunar plains, this team landed between two mountains in an area called Hadley's Rill.The astronauts spent about 18.5 hours outside, driving around on the first ever Lunokhod, which they brought with them. This allowed them to travel much further from the Lunar Module than previous missions. During three lunar walks, Scott and Irwin conducted several scientific experiments and collected 77 kg of lunar rock samples.
Apollo 16 - 2 people
John Young and Charles Duke were the next to land on the Moon on the Apollo 16 mission. When the ship entered lunar orbit, the mission was nearly aborted due to problems with the main engine of the control and maintenance module. However, everything worked out and, moreover, it turned out to be the first mission with a landing directly on the lunar hill. They spent 71 hours, or three days, on the lunar surface, from April 21 to April 23, 1972. During this time, they made three exits with a total duration of 20 hours and 14 minutes, and also traveled 26.7 kilometers on the lunar rover.![](https://i0.wp.com/cosmos.agency/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/moon_cosmos_agency-1.png)
So how many people have walked on the moon? - 12!
Although no one has ever walked on the Moon more than once, three different astronauts have traveled to it more than once. Jim Lovell flew around the Moon on Apollo 8 and the aborted Apollo 13. John Young and Eugene Cernan orbited the Moon on Apollo 10, then Young landed with Apollo 16, and Cernan walked on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission.Were the Russians on the Moon?
The official answer is no. The first person from the USSR to set foot on the surface of the Moon should be the pilot-cosmonaut, hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Leonov - the man who was the first to perform a spacewalk.In 1965-1969, Leonov was part of a group of Soviet cosmonauts preparing for the Soviet programs to fly around the Moon L1/Zond and land on it. The flight of the Zond-7 manned spacecraft under the lunar flyby program was tentatively scheduled for December 8, 1968. Leonov was part of the second crew preparing to fly around the Moon in September 1968, and be the first to set foot on its surface. But history decreed otherwise, and the American Neil Armstrong was the first to visit the moon.
After this, the space race ended because... no longer makes any sense. The next goal was Mars, but until recently neither the United States nor Russia showed much interest in flying to the Red Planet. Everything changed with the arrival of private companies, including.
Why don't they fly to the moon now?
Several years ago, dozens of innovative companies planning to return to the Moon with new technologies and ideas participated in international competition Google Lunar X Prize. At the end of this year, a winner will be determined who will receive $20 million for the implementation and development of their project.In the coming years, China, the United States, Russia and the European Union are preparing manned missions to the Moon.
MOSCOW, July 20 - RIA Novosti. The famous cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who personally prepared to participate in the Soviet lunar exploration program, denied many years of rumors that American astronauts were not on the Moon, and that the footage broadcast on television around the world was allegedly edited in Hollywood.
He spoke about this in an interview with RIA Novosti on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first landing in the history of mankind by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin on the surface of the Earth's satellite, celebrated on July 20.
So were the Americans or were they not on the moon?
“Only absolutely ignorant people can seriously believe that the Americans were not on the moon. And, unfortunately, this whole ridiculous epic about footage allegedly fabricated in Hollywood began precisely with the Americans themselves. By the way, the first person who began to disseminate these rumors, he was imprisoned for libel,” Alexey Leonov noted in this regard.
Where did the rumors come from?
“And it all started when, at the celebration of the 80th birthday of the famous American film director Stanley Kubrick, who based his brilliant film “2001 Odyssey” on the book of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, journalists who met with Kubrick’s wife asked to talk about her husband’s work on the film in Hollywood studios. And she honestly reported that there are only two real lunar modules on Earth - one in a museum, where no filming has ever been carried out, and it is even forbidden to go with a camera, and the other is in Hollywood, where, to develop the logic of what is happening on the screen, Additional filming of the American landing on the Moon was carried out,” the Soviet cosmonaut specified.
Why was studio additional filming used?
Alexey Leonov explained that in order for the viewer to be able to see on the movie screen the development of what is happening from beginning to end, elements of additional shooting are used in any movie.
“It was impossible, for example, to film Neil Armstrong’s real opening of the hatch of the descent ship on the Moon - there was simply no one to film it from the surface! For the same reason, it was impossible to film Armstrong’s descent to the Moon along the ladder from the ship. These are the moments that were actually filmed Kubrick in Hollywood studios to develop the logic of what was happening, and laid the foundation for numerous gossips that the entire landing was allegedly simulated on the set,” explained Alexey Leonov.
Where truth begins and editing ends
“The real shooting began when Armstrong, who first set foot on the Moon, got used to it a little, installed a highly directional antenna through which he was broadcasting to Earth. His partner Buzz Aldrin then also left the ship on the surface and began filming Armstrong, who in turn filmed its movement on the surface of the Moon,” the astronaut specified.
Why did the American flag fly in the airless space of the moon?
“The argument is made that the American flag fluttered on the Moon, but it shouldn’t have. The flag really shouldn’t have fluttered - the fabric was used with a rather rigid reinforced mesh, the panel was twisted into a tube and tucked into a cover. The astronauts took with them a nest, which they first inserted into the lunar soil, and then they stuck the flag pole into it, and only then removed the cover. And when the cover was removed, the flag panel began to unfold in conditions of reduced gravity, and the residual deformation of the springy reinforced mesh created the impression that the flag was fluttering as if in the wind." , - explained the “phenomenon” Alexey Leonov.
“To argue that the entire film was shot on Earth is simply absurd and ridiculous. The USA had all the necessary systems that monitored the very launch of the launch vehicle, acceleration, correction of the flight orbit, flight around the Moon by the descent capsule and its landing,” - concluded the famous Soviet cosmonaut.
What did the “moon race” lead to between two space superpowers?
“My opinion is that this is the best competition in space that humanity has ever carried out. The “moon race” between the USSR and the USA is the achievement of the highest peaks of science and technology,” says Alexey Leonov.
According to him, after Yuri Gagarin's flight, US President Kennedy, speaking in Congress, said that the Americans were simply too late to think about the triumph that could be achieved by launching a man into space, and therefore the Russians triumphantly became the first. Kennedy's message was clear: within ten years, land a man on the moon and return him safely back to Earth.
“This was a very right step by a great politician - he united and rallied the American nation to achieve this goal. Huge funds were also involved at that time - 25 billion dollars, today it is, perhaps, all fifty billion. The program included a flyby of the Moon, then Tom Stafford's flight to the hovering point and selection of a landing site on Apollo 10. The departure of Apollo 11 included the direct landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, while Michael Collins remained in orbit and waited for the return of his comrades. - said Alexey Leonov.
18 Apollo-type ships were made to prepare for the landing on the Moon - the entire program was implemented perfectly, except for Apollo 13 - from an engineering point of view, nothing special happened there, it simply failed, or rather, one of the fuel elements exploded , the energy weakened, and therefore it was decided not to land on the surface, but to fly around the Moon and return to Earth.
Alexey Leonov noted that only the first flyby of the Moon by Frank Borman, then the landing of Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon and the story of Apollo 13 remained in the memory of Americans. These achievements united the American nation and made every person empathize, walk with their fingers crossed and pray for their heroes. The last flight of the Apollo series was also extremely interesting: American astronauts no longer just walked on the Moon, but drove on its surface in a special lunar vehicle and took interesting photographs.
In fact, it was the peak of the Cold War, and in this situation, the Americans, after the success of Yuri Gagarin, simply had to win the “moon race.” The USSR then had its own lunar program, and we also implemented it. By 1968, it had already existed for two years, and crews of our cosmonauts were even formed for the flight to the Moon.
On censorship of human achievements
“The American launches as part of the lunar program were broadcast on television, and only two countries in the world - the USSR and communist China - did not broadcast this historical footage to their people. I thought then, and now I think - in vain, we simply robbed our people , the flight to the Moon is the heritage and achievement of all mankind. The Americans watched Gagarin’s launch, Leonov’s spacewalk - why couldn’t the Soviet people see this?!”, laments Alexei Leonov.
According to him, a limited group of Soviet space specialists watched these launches on a closed channel.
“We had military unit 32103 on Komsomolsky Prospekt, which provided space broadcasts, since there was no control center in Korolev at that time. We, unlike all other people in the USSR, saw the landing of Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon, broadcast by the USA throughout world. The Americans placed a television antenna on the surface of the Moon, and everything they did there was transmitted through a television camera to the Earth, and several repetitions of these television broadcasts were also made. When Armstrong stood on the surface of the Moon, and everyone in the USA clapped, we are here in the USSR. , Soviet cosmonauts, also crossed their fingers for luck, and sincerely wished the guys success,” recalls the Soviet cosmonaut.
How the Soviet lunar program was implemented
“In 1962, a decree was issued, signed personally by Nikita Khrushchev, on the creation of a spacecraft to fly around the Moon and use a Proton launch vehicle with an upper stage for this launch. In 1964, Khrushchev signed a program for the USSR to fly around the Moon in 1967 , and in 1968 - landing on the Moon and returning to Earth. And in 1966 there was already a resolution on the formation of lunar crews - a group was immediately recruited for landing on the Moon,” recalled Alexey Leonov.
The first stage of the flight around the Earth's satellite was to be carried out by launching the L-1 lunar module using a Proton launch vehicle, and the second stage - landing and returning back - on a giant and powerful N-1 rocket, equipped with thirty engines with a total thrust of 4.5 thousands of tons, with the rocket itself weighing about 2 thousand tons. However, even after four test launches, this super-heavy rocket never flew normally, so it had to be abandoned in the end.
Korolev and Glushko: the antipathy of two geniuses
“There were other options, for example, using a 600-ton engine developed by the brilliant designer Valentin Glushko, but Sergei Korolev refused it, since it worked on highly toxic heptyl. Although, in my opinion, this was not the reason - just two leaders , Korolev and Glushko - could not and did not want to work together. Their relationship had its own problems of a purely personal nature: Sergei Korolev, for example, knew that Valentin Glushko had once written a denunciation against him, as a result of which he was sentenced to ten years. When Korolev was released, he found out about this, but Glushko did not know that he knew about it,” said Alexey Leonov.
A small step for a man, but a giant leap for all mankind
On July 20, 1969, NASA's Apollo 11, with a crew of three astronauts: Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Aldrin, and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, became the first to reach the Moon in the USSR-US space race. The Americans did not pursue research objectives in this expedition; its goal was simple: to land on the Earth’s satellite and return successfully.
The ship consisted of a lunar module and a command module, which remained in orbit during the mission. Thus, of the three astronauts, only two went to the Moon: Armstrong and Aldrin. They had to land on the moon, collect samples of lunar soil, take photographs on the Earth's satellite and install several instruments. However, the main ideological component of the trip was the hoisting of the American flag on the moon and the holding of a video communication session with the Earth.
The launch of the ship was observed by US President Richard Nixon and the scientist-creator of German rocket technology, Hermann Oberth. A total of about a million people watched the launch at the cosmodrome and mounted observation platforms, and the television broadcast, according to the Americans, was watched by more than a billion people all over the world.
Apollo 11 launched toward the moon on July 16, 1969 at 1332 GMT and entered lunar orbit 76 hours later. The command and lunar modules were undocked approximately 100 hours after launch. Despite the fact that NASA intended to land on the lunar surface in automatic mode, Armstrong, as the commander of the expedition, decided to land the lunar module in semi-automatic mode.
The lunar module landed in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20 at 20 hours 17 minutes 42 seconds GMT. Armstrong descended to the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969 at 02:56:20 GMT. Everyone knows the phrase he said when he set foot on the moon: “That’s one small step for a man, but one giant leap for all mankind.”
15 minutes later Aldrin walked onto the moon. The astronauts collected the required amount of materials, placed instruments and installed a television camera. After that, they placed an American flag in the camera's field of view and conducted a communication session with President Nixon. The astronauts left a memorial plaque on the Moon with the words: “Here people from planet Earth first set foot on the Moon. July 1969 new era. We come in peace on behalf of all Mankind."
Aldrin spent about an hour and a half on the moon, Armstrong - two hours and ten minutes. At the 125th hour of the mission and the 22nd hour of being on the Moon, the lunar module launched from the surface of the Earth's satellite. The crew splashed down on the blue planet approximately 195 hours after the start of the mission, and soon the astronauts were picked up by an aircraft carrier that arrived in time.
An outside observer looked at the press conference of the Apollo 11 crew with mixed feelings. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collings and Buzz Aldrin showed no signs of joy, they were gloomy and a little confused. Of course, such an important event as the first landing of man on the moon is more pompous than it gives reason for jokes and smiles. However, the tone of the press conference dedicated to such a grandiose event was painted in gloomy shades.
And if then, in the early 70s of the last century, people could not attach importance to this circumstance, now, after decades, the media are filled with contradictory facts. There is even a lunar conspiracy theory, according to which American astronauts provided false or fabricated data about the landing of their crew on the surface of the Earth's satellite. Since then, people have not given up trying to get to the bottom of the truth and find out what really happened then. Let's try to figure this out too.
Strange facts and discrepancies
The strange relationship between the crew members was the first thing that caught my eye and gave rise to a lot of doubts. How can people who have spent some time in unknown space side by side with each other look so distant? Of course, this cannot serve as evidence of forgery, but it forces us to delve deeper into the study of the situation.
There was a lot of secrecy in the reports provided by NASA; many discrepancies were found in documents, photos and video reports. In the years following the landing, more and more new incriminating information surfaced. It is worth noting that the lunar conspiracy theory itself was not put forward by the Soviet Union; its author was the publicist Bill Kaysing. However, even before the publication of the famous book, the percentage of ordinary Americans who doubted the authenticity of the event was high.
Modern view of the problem
Strange, but since then the Moon has not become a target for mass human flights. To study information on extraterrestrial objects, humans came up with smart satellites and space probes. It is so natural for our minds to reject strange situations that defy logical explanation. What does not fit into the generally accepted framework of knowledge, regardless of culture and science, is most often subject to obstruction. It has always been this way. But now, after years have passed, we have a unique opportunity to look at the problem with fresh, disinterested eyes.
It's no secret that history textbooks are constantly being rewritten. More often under the influence of one or another political regime, less often in accordance with the latest scientific discoveries. Albert Einstein once said, “Judgement without investigation indicates ignorance.” Therefore, we will not ridicule or dismiss an idea without first clarifying the facts.
What did the moon rock turn into?
Here we have the first curious fact that has surfaced in recent years. In 1969, one of the Apollo 11 astronauts presented a piece of moon rock to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. This unique stone was then donated to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Every year, the gift brought from the moon attracted thousands and thousands of new visitors. It was initially valued by experts at one and a half million dollars. But after several decades, the texture of the stone mysteriously changed. Imagine the surprise of the museum curators when they realized that the moonstone was nothing more than petrified wood.
Call from the Russian government
More recently the government Russian Federation officially called on the international community to investigate certain information regarding the period from 1996 to 1972. According to NASA, it was during this period that American astronauts landed on the Moon. There were several expeditions there. Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin argued that the investigation could shed light on a shadow from the past. Secret information that has been kept for a number of years must be made public.
A Russian official is calling on the international community to find out where the footage from the original footage of the first landing on the moon, filmed in 1969, went. It is also interesting to know where about four hundred kilograms of lunar rocks brought to Earth by several expeditions from 1969 to 1972 disappeared. The Russian side does not claim that there was no landing on the Moon. Based on the facts, a documentary was made about this mysterious disappearance. According to Markov, the lost footage and moon rocks are the property of humanity. The disappearance of cultural artifacts is a common loss for the inhabitants of the Earth.
Intelligence Analyst's Opinion
Bob Dean served at Supreme Allied Commander Europe as an intelligence analyst. According to a former military man, footage from the moon landing was mercilessly destroyed. Therefore, now, even if someone wants to conduct their own independent investigation, it will be impossible. While the United States public continued to press for declassification, the government and NASA officials continued to destroy 40 rolls of precious film from all Apollo missions. Several thousand individual frames were captured there. After looking at them, the authorities for some reason decided that people did not have the right to familiarize themselves with the materials. The reason is banal and simple. According to the government, all this footage is “subversive, socially and politically unacceptable.”
What astronaut Edgar Mitchell will tell you
Bob Dean is just one of many authorities who are furious over the US government's cover-up of the Moon landing. His testimony, without relevant documents, cannot constitute any concrete evidence. However, we must listen to his arguments. It turns out that the retired major, having made a scandalous statement, put his reputation on the line for the sake of truth. Here's what another brave man, Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, says. He became the sixth person to land on the moon. “I was among the chosen few who were lucky enough not only to fly into space, but also to land on the Moon. On the Earth's satellite we encountered the reality of the UFO phenomenon. For a long time, the information we obtained was hidden by the government. I saw the wreckage of a spacecraft, but I did not see the bodies of aliens. They probably managed to escape. After flying to the moon, I became a different person. Now I know for sure, we are not alone in the universe. Moreover, aliens have been visiting us regularly for a long time.”
They were under surveillance
Maurice Chatelain designed the radio equipment used in the lunar landing (this is one of his twelve patents). The scientist said that at the time when the astronauts landed, they were never left alone, all the time being in the field of view of the UFO. Now it becomes clear why there are so many incomprehensible inconsistencies in photographs taken at that time. Why are the astronauts' shadows twice as large, and why are there massive prints everywhere? Unfortunately, the resolution of photographs of that time left much to be desired. Therefore, modern scientists, even with preserved copies, cannot accurately determine what those mysterious dark spots in the photographs were. Was this due to the poor quality of the photographs, or were aliens really involved?
Could there be artificial buildings there?
John Brandenburg, deputy manager of the Clementine mission, which was part of the joint space project, says: “Our goal was to identify secret bases on the Moon. I looked through many pictures and settled on one. It showed a linear structure a mile long. This object was man-made and should not have been there. However, I can say with confidence that the construction of such a structure cannot be the work of man. This means someone else landed on the Moon.”
Conclusion
If NASA expeditions from 1961 to 1972 really took place, and the data was really destroyed, we have managed to partially lift the veil of secrecy. Now it becomes clear why the press conference of the Apollo 11 crew members was filled with gloomy uncertainty. The astronauts were probably really shocked by what they saw, but they were forbidden to talk about it.
The crew of the American spaceship *Apollo 11*: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin
On July 20, 1969, American astronauts were the first in human history to set foot on the surface of the Moon. More precisely, on July 20, Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Edwin Aldrin landed the ship's lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility, and on July 21 they reached the lunar surface. This is what the official version says. However, there are still ongoing debates about whether this version can be considered true. The arguments for and against number in the dozens. Let's look at the main ones.
Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Edwin Aldrin
In the 1960s. space exploration was a matter of prestige in the struggle between two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. The Americans launched the Apollo space program, the goal of which was to explore the Moon and demonstrate technological superiority over a rival country. The crew of the first Apollo series ship tragically died during ground tests. But the Apollo 11 flight, according to the official version, was successful: the Americans spent more than 2.5 hours on the lunar surface and collected about 22 kg of lunar rocks. In total, under the Apollo program in the period from 1969 to 1972. There were 6 successful landings on the Moon, as a result of which almost 400 kg of lunar soil were brought to earth.
The crew before departure, July 6, 1969. Neil Armstrong waves his hand
For a long time these facts were not questioned. The famous Soviet cosmonaut G. Grechko has repeatedly expressed firm confidence in the reality of what is happening. Cosmonaut A. Leonov echoed him: “Only absolutely ignorant people can seriously believe that the Americans were not on the Moon,” although he did not deny the possibility of additional filming in the pavilion. It is interesting that in the USSR no one publicly announced the falsifications of the Americans. This version was expressed by the American writer Bill Kaysing in the book “We Have Never Been to the Moon,” published in 1976. This is how the “moon conspiracy” theory arose, which gained more and more supporters every year.
First photo of Neil Armstrong after landing on the moon
The photographs and video materials gave rise to many questions: why are there no stars visible on them, how can a flag flutter in airless space, how could multidirectional shadows arise if there is only one light source on the Moon - the Sun? They tried to explain these discrepancies as follows: the stars were not visible due to weak exposure, the flag did not flutter, but swayed from the touches of the astronauts, and the film simply could have deteriorated.
American astronaut on the moon
Author of the book “Anti-Apollo. USA Moon Scam,” historian Yuri Mukhin is one of the most ardent supporters of the “lunar conspiracy” theory. He draws attention to the fact that the gravitational force of the Moon is 6 times lower than that of the Earth, so all the jumps of the astronauts would have to look different, as well as the speed of falling objects. On the lunar surface, an astronaut could jump higher than his height, but in the video the jumps look as if they were performed in conditions of gravity. The author also has doubts about the possibility of astronauts in their module launching from the Moon and docking with a ship flying in orbit.
Photographing the lunar surface
Edwin Aldrin on the Moon
Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, author of a book about the secrets of lunar exploration, Alexander Popov, is also firmly convinced that the Americans have never been to the Moon. Instead of the Saturn 5 launch vehicle, in his opinion, they created only a model for filming a successful launch. Soil particles from under the wheels of the lunar rover in the video fly off 1-1.5 m, although according to calculations this should be at least 5-6 m. A triangular plume is also noticeable, which is only possible in the air. VGIK teacher of camera skills L. Konovalov claims: both the photo and the video are fake, many facts indicate that the filming took place in the pavilion.
Edwin Aldrin on the Moon
Edwin Aldrin on the Moon
There is another version: the Americans were on the Moon, but did not take pictures, or the film was damaged. And it was necessary to present evidence. Then NASA involved earthly specialists. And the lunar soil could have been obtained not by astronauts, but by unmanned spacecraft, if it really is lunar soil. In any case, the USSR could not help but know the truth. In this regard, there are suggestions that the Union will refuse public disclosure for the sake of political pressure on the United States or economic privileges.
The Lunar Module lifted off from the Moon's surface