Moon Landing

Did Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin "admit we never went to the moon"? No, that's not true: The 2015 video interview from which a clip was taken to support this claim actually showed Aldrin answering a different question. The claim reappeared in a post on Instagram published on November 24, 2022. The accompanying text comment said: It's clear as day…

Is the Earth flat and surrounded by a transparent barrier that prevents rockets from leaving the Earth's atmosphere? Beyond this barrier, is there a firmament composed of water or a liquid-like substance? Does this explain why the U.S. government in 1962 launched Operation Fish Bowl -- to use nuclear weapons to try and break through that barrier? No, that's not…

Do two photos comparing launch sites on Earth and on the moon imply that the Apollo moon missions were faked -- and, furthermore, suggest that the Earth is flat? No, none of this is true: These photos, taken 33 years apart, are real photos from two different NASA missions. The upper photo shows the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B,…

Does a "documentary" called "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: Although it's presented as a documentary, "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" is an unauthorized repackaging of a 1990 Canadian satirical movie, "In Search of the Edge." It's a mockumentary about flat Earth (FE) theory. John Hoskyns-Abrahall with Bullfrog Films, the distributor…

Does a video that shows a stage-lighting support hitting an astronaut as he descends onto what appears to be the moon's surface prove that Apollo 11's July 20, 1969, moon landing was fake? No, that's not true: This video was produced as a tribute to moon-landing conspiracy theories. The video's creators also made a website that explains their motivation: "We…

Does a viral video describing a father's "deathbed confession" prove the U.S. government faked the 1969 moon landing? No, that's not true: There is a significant amount of evidence that NASA landed on the moon and experts Lead Stories spoke with refuted claims suggesting otherwise. In the video, a man who identifies himself as Gene Gilmore (given name Eugene Reuben…

Did the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger survive the 1986 explosion? No, that's not true: The seven astronauts who were onboard the Challenger died on January 28, 1986. Four of the individuals whom one video narrator presents as survivors of the explosion are individuals without established family or professional ties to the crew. In two cases, the brothers of…

Did NASA stop investigating the deepest layers of the world's oceans 34 years ago? No, that's not true: NASA's main exploration ventures are in space, but, according to the agency's website, it still explores the ocean, too. A claim asserting that NASA has stopped its oceanographic work appeared in an Instagram video on August 30, 2022. The video appears to…

Does a reflection in an astronaut's helmet visor from the Apollo 17 moon landing prove that it was a hoax? No, that's not true: The reflection seen in astronaut Gene Cernan's helmet visor shows astronaut Harrison Schmidt standing in front of him on the surface of the moon in 1972. "The view is a little distorted due to the curvature…

Do recently declassified behind-the-scenes film clips show that the moon landing was really a hoax -- that it was actually filmed on a movie set here on Earth? No, that's not true: This does not show the staging of a massive hoax. These clips were taken from promotional pieces showing what went into the making of the 2018 IMAX movie,…