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What do astronomers have to say about the Moon landing conspiracy theories? – Prisha M., age 14, Mumbai, India
Back in 1969 – more than a half-century ago – Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon.
At least that’s what most people think.
But a few still insist that humans did not land on the Moon.
Should you believe them? How can you know that astronauts really did go to the Moon?
Let’s address this question by putting it side by side with another stunning event of the same year: the New York Mets’ shocking win in baseball’s World Series. They beat the Baltimore Orioles, four games to one.
Jubilant fans take over the field after the Mets win the 1969 World Series.
Bettmann via Getty Images
Another miracle
But how do you know that? How can you be sure? After all, up until 1969, the Mets were a terrible team. They won the fewest games in the major leagues in 1967, and the third-fewest in 1968. It seems very unlikely they could have won the championship the very next year.
What if someone said that it didn’t happen? That the Mets instead lost the series to the Orioles? That the claim the Mets won is just a hoax, a canard, a fake story?
Is it possible to prove they’re wrong?
Seen on TV
First: Millions of Americans watched the World Series on television – approximately 11 million to 17 million viewers per game, according to Nielsen ratings. Many of those people are still alive today and remember seeing the Mets win.
Why would all of them lie? That doesn’t make sense.
Now consider this: More than 600 million people around the world watched the Moon landing on TV.
Seen at stadiums
But a skeptic might say “so what” – maybe the entire World Series was somehow faked, re-created in a TV studio.
Yet ticket records document more than 250,000 people saw the games in person. Along with them were hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper reporters and support personnel who also witnessed the action directly. Many of them are still alive today, and every one of them agrees that the Mets won.
Why would all of them lie? That doesn’t make sense.
Now consider this: More than 400,000 people worked on the Apollo program – scientists, engineers, researchers and support staff along with the astronauts.
Live from the Moon – July 20, 1969.
Even the opposition agreed
So a skeptic might claim the New York media, or some other corporate entity, set up fake broadcasts and fake fans for some nefarious purpose. And the reason no one talks – well, maybe everyone was paid off.
Although the New York newspapers and TV stations may have wanted the Mets to win, the Baltimore reporters…
