Moon Landing

Did humans really go to the moon? Or did they fall into America’s trap?

Don’t assume that a Bengali would ask this question. A Bengali might, but only if they’re in a developed and civilized country where universities conduct research and politics isn’t just a display of vulgarity. Anyway, back in 2006/07, a Bangladeshi magazine called “Rahasya” published a report on this topic, which was essentially a translated foreign article. Since then, many Bengalis have become obsessed with finding conspiracies in everything. A science-averse Bengali might spend another century searching for ghosts in banyan trees or calculating the financial pros and cons of launching satellites. It’s not surprising. Even if Bangladesh doesn’t gain direct financial profit from launching a satellite, if we can widely promote it with fanfare, it could have a far-reaching impact on Bengali scientific consciousness – worth far more than the satellite itself. But let’s return to the topic of humans going to the Moon.

There are people in Bangladesh who claim humans never went to the Moon – and even more of them in America. Some of them probably don’t believe that satellites orbit Earth or that space stations exist. They believe in ghosts in banyan trees but not in these things. The internet is full of conspiracy theories. Many people who watched “The X-Files” easily fall for such ideas. Pseudoscience tries to give complex explanations for simple things – like trying to touch your ear by reaching around your head. Think about these matters from a scientific perspective. The questions raised by propagandists often go like this:

1: The American flag is fluttering on the Moon’s surface, but we know there’s no air on the Moon – so how?
2: There’s a shadow in front, meaning the Sun is behind – then what’s the light source illuminating the front? (Floodlight!!!) Bright light next to a pitch-black shadow, but darkness near the Sun?
3: In this photo taken on the Moon, there are no stars visible in the sky. But since there’s no air or clouds, stars should be visible.
4: The footprint in the photo looks like it was made in soft, muddy soil. But without water or air, the Moon’s surface should always be dry! And deep footprints in dry soil are impossible.
5: A photo of the spacecraft landed on the Moon must have been taken while standing on the Moon. But how is that possible in temperatures of 170°C during the day and -153°C at night?
6: What is this strange shadow on the Moon’s surface? NASA said it’s the shadow of a rocket flying 95 km above. Then why don’t shadows of lower-flying aircraft fall on Earth’s surface?

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Read the answers to these flawed arguments here:
Wiki Link 01
Wiki Link 02
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Also watch this video, which explains everything beautifully:

Did humans go to the Moon only once? Actually, they went many times. After Apollo 11, there were missions Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. These missions were not cheap, so after the initial excitement of lunar exploration faded, NASA’s budget was cut in the 1970s. That’s why the missions ended.

In science, there’s a principle called “Occam’s Razor.” If there’s a simple explanation and a complex one, the simple one is usually correct. There’s overwhelming evidence of Moon landings, and every point raised by skeptics has been explained. If someone still doesn’t accept it, that’s their choice. And it wasn’t just the Americans – Soviets and Australians monitored the entire operation. They officially accepted it and didn’t raise any questions. For the Soviets, it was a matter of prestige. They were the first to send a human into space – remember Yuri Gagarin? But they couldn’t send someone to the Moon. It was too expensive. There was no practical benefit to going to the Moon back then. America and the Soviet Union were trying for the sake of national pride. Once the Soviets lost the race, they had no reason to spend huge sums of money.

And where humans landed on the Moon can still be seen from Earth using telescopes. Apollo 11 left behind a retro-reflector array (mirror) on the Moon, which reflects laser beams to measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. That and other reflectors from later Apollo missions are still in place. If you have a good telescope, you can see them too. Many scientists have tested them. Just like politicians in Bangladesh, there are people worldwide who always find faults in others’ good work. During the space race, the Soviet Union had dozens of telescopes watching – if it were fake, would they have stayed silent? The mirrors left by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are still being used. Read the Wikipedia links above.

Believing or not believing is a personal matter. But falling into the trap of pseudoscience is not wise. Only those who’ve gone to the Moon or space truly know how beautiful yet terrifying the experience is. They never know for sure if they’ll return to Earth. Many have lost their lives in such missions. Those who say it’s just a movie are insulting these space heroes. We humans seem to be experts at doing just that.