Find out what is myth and what is truth about humans going to the Moon

This Saturday (20), the mission Apollo 11 celebrates 55 years since the landing on the Moon that made the first human walk there possible — an event that shaped the history of our civilization. Neil Armstrong was the first astronaut to leave the Apollo 11 mission capsule, followed by Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin ; in this way, the Americans were considered winners of the space race against the Soviet Union.

This was a long and costly process, so much so that it took NASA eight years to complete the goal of establishing a presence on the moon. Former President John F. Kennedy originally announced the plan to land on the moon during a famous speech in 1961, but the moment didn’t happen until 1969 — Kennedy was assassinated before that and was unable to witness the historic moment.

Both before and after, several events occurred that made history as we know it possible. In total, 12 astronauts were able to experience a walk on the Moon. However, the Apollo mission was canceled in 1972, and it has been more than 50 years since we returned to the natural satellite.

NASA (the United States space agency) has already planned a return to the surface of the Moon in 2026, during the Artemis III mission. In fact, the US space agency intends to build a lunar base to provide better exploration. China also plans to establish a presence on the satellite through the mission. Chang’e-6 .

One Small Step, One Giant Leap

“Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin into an initial 114-by-116-mile Earth orbit. An estimated 650 million people watched the television image of Armstrong and heard his voice describe the event as he took “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” NASA describes.

The truth about the Apollo missions and the trip to the Moon

The Apollo program began in 1960 with the goal of sending the first human being to the surface of the Moon. Before the success achieved by Apollo 11, several tests and experimental manned flights took place that made the first lunar walk possible.

Four other manned flights preceded the famous 1969 event: the first was Apollo 7, during a test in Earth orbit; followed by Apollo 8, in which the astronauts orbited the Moon for the first time; in Apollo 9, the lunar module was completed and tested in Earth orbit; in Apollo 10, the astronauts simulated a lunar landing. All of these missions were essential to validate the technology that allowed the first landing on the satellite.

In addition to Armstrong and Aldrin, astronaut Michael Collins also participated in the classic mission, but he did not walk on the Moon. Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module while his companions walked on the surface of the satellite.

The spacecraft landed (made a lunar landing) in the region known as Sea of ​​Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis). Just three days later, they successfully returned to Earth.

Ten more astronauts were sent to the surface of the Moon in the Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 . Only Apollo 13 failed to complete its objective, as a disaster occurred on the spacecraft that forced the astronauts to return to Earth as quickly as possible — they almost died during the return trip.

Twelve astronauts have walked on the moon

Meet the astronauts who walked on the lunar surface:

• Apollo 11 – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin;
• Apollo 12 – Pete Conrad and Alan Bean;
• Apollo 14 – Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell;
• Apollo 15 – David Scott and James Irwin;
• Apollo 16 – John Young and Charles Duke;
• Apollo 17 – Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.

National Observatory astrophysicist Ricardo Ogando tells CNN that the space race and the achievements of the Apollo program allowed science to reach another level. It was the advancement of that era that provided the development of today’s space instruments, which allow astronomical observations of other planets in the Solar system and other cosmic objects in the universe.

Despite enabling the first walk on the Moon, the Apollo 11 mission was not the first to land on the lunar surface. According to Ogando, the first successful unmanned mission to land on the Moon was Luna 2, sent by the Russians in September 1959. However, it crashed into the surface.

Myths about the first moon landing

After the announcement of the first lunar landing, several conspiracy theories emerged claiming that humanity had not actually set foot on the Moon, suggesting that it was all an elaborate hoax to help the United States win the space race. In an attempt to validate their arguments, conspiracy theorists created several untruths — some of which even became part of pop culture.

One hypothesis suggests that the moon landing was filmed in a movie studio, where renowned director Stanley Kubrick was responsible for directing the work.

Discover some lies about the first moonwalk:

• In an image photographed by Neil Armstrong, conspiracy theorists claim that the shadows seen in the photo could only be produced by artificial lighting. However, scientists have already explained that the effect is common and can even be reproduced on Earth.
• After analyzing images of the American flag planted on the lunar surface, conspiracy theorists suggest that the wind caused a unique movement in the fabric, something that would be impossible on the Moon. Experts explain that the structure of the flag was designed to remain in that position, which is why it appears to move.
• Another myth claims that the astronauts could not have survived the Van Allen belt, a radiation field that was supposed to have killed them. This is also not true, as they passed through the region so quickly that they considerably minimized the impact of the radiation.

There are also several other myths that suggest that the trip to the Moon was false, but the scientific community has been refuting such allegations with arguments.

“Discussing whether humanity went to the Moon is like discussing the shape of the Earth, something that makes no sense. There is no evidence that things are different from what they are. The arguments are always weak. The fact is that we have a society that is highly dependent on technology, using satellites placed by rockets in orbit around a spherical Earth. Therefore, it is striking that a small portion of the population thinks that the world is different from this,” says Ogando.

NASA could build a railway on the Moon by 2030; understand