Thomas Eversberg - The Moon Hoax Read online

  Thomas Eversberg

  The Moon

  Hoax?

  Conspiracy

  Theories on Trial

  Science and Fiction

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  Thomas Eversberg

  The Moon Hoax?

  Conspiracy Theories on Trial

  Thomas Eversberg

  German Space Agency

  Bonn, Germany

  Translated into English by Markus Josef Geiss and Jordan Barr Holquist

  Translation from the German language edition: “Hollywood im Weltall” by Thomas Eversberg. © Springer-Verlag GmbH 2013.

  ISSN

  2197-1188

  ISSN

  2197-1196 (electronic)

  Science and Fiction

  ISBN

  978-3-030-05459-5 ISBN

  978-3-030-05460-1 (eBook)

  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05460-1

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966595

  © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.

  The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

  The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

  Cover illustration: Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA, Image number AS11-40-5875

  This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG

  The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

  For Bine

  Foreword

  July 20, 1969: The first humans land on the Moon. The older generations

  among us witnessed this event, whereas the younger generations have learned

  about it from history books. A historic event! A giant leap for mankind! Or

  maybe not? Could the event that was broadcast to millions of TVs possibly

  have been staged: is this a case of a “Moon Hoax”? There have been persistent

  rumors that the US space agency, NASA, tricked everyone with smoke and

  mirrors, and that all of the technological advances were completely made up.

  In the 1970s, the lies about the faked Moon landings were born. And nowa-

  days, in the time of the Internet, where everyone is not only a consumer of

  media but can also easily be the author and distributor of information, these

  lies are being spread constantly. Other conspiracy theories, too, are once more

  rearing their ugly heads, all on the World Wide Web.

  Our human insistence on doubting and questioning events, claims, and

  alleged facts is actually a positive aspect of our culture. These are inevitable

  requirements to be able to understand correlations, to classify things, and to

  increase knowledge. But where is the border between common sense and sci-

  entific thinking on the one hand, and lack of understanding, confusion, and

  ideological delusion on the other? What are we willing to accept as true and

  what remains incompatible with our worldview?

  Thomas Eversberg, PhD in astrophysics and an active professional in space

  management, deals with the arguments of those who would question the trips

  to the Moon in this book, The Moon Hoax?—Conspiracy Theories on Trial. By taking these arguments seriously and then confronting them with solid logic,

  his analysis turns into a unique lesson. With penetrating clarity, he uses a tool from the philosophy of science called Occam’s Razor: According to this th
eory, the hypothesis describing a phenomenon with the fewest assumptions

  vii

  viii Foreword

  should be preferred. Those requiring an unnecessarily large number of assump-

  tions can be discarded as too complex (in a figure of speech: sliced off by the

  razor blade).

  It is the consistent application of this principle, a common practice in sci-

  entific work and rational thinking, that makes Eversberg’s analysis significant

  far beyond the topic at hand. The author shows not only the flaws in the argu-

  ments of the Moon landing opponents—he shows more generally how seri-

  ous arguments can be distinguished from fantasies. Anyone who reads this

  book will become much more capable of navigating the vast flood of informa-

  tion to be found in modern media without running the risk of being defrauded.

  Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH

  Uwe Reichert

  Heidelberg, Germany

  Acknowledgement

  Who would have thought that a little boy enthusiastic about space would turn

  into an astrophysicist that deals with the Moon landings 40 years later? I am

  indebted to my grandmother, Ruth Wendland, who sensitively promoted my

  interests, as did my father, Karl-Werner Eversberg. I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to him and my mother, Karin Eversberg, who gave me total freedom and

  who always supported my curiosity and enthusiasm. Many friends inspired me

  to give talks about the Moon landings and therefore contributed significantly to

  this book through their various questions and thoughts. This particularly applies to a few people that I would like to mention here. The many discussions I had

  with Andreas Boeckh instigated by his interest in science and the Moon, whether

  at home or in the Swedish mountains, gave rise to many of my approaches in

  this book. If he was ever bored by these weird thoughts of mine, he politely

  never let me notice. Norbert Reinecke deserves special thanks and respect for his critical questions and comments about my endeavors as an astronomer, and his

  support during rough times. I would like to thank Klaus Vollmann for our joint

  scientific discussions, his dedication to scientific accuracy, and the work at our observatory for many years; even more so, because this work is often very tiring

  and sometimes not the most enjoyable. Moreover, I would like to thank Anke

  Gödersmann and Dieter Schaade for their inspiring discussions while sharing

  delicious meals with me for many years. I further want to thank my uncle,

  Abdelali Aouati, for the constant motivation and his unprecedented optimism.

  And I thank my good friend Britta Schlörscheidt for motivating me during the

  writing of the book. Also, thank you to Martina Mechler from Springer

  Spektrum for her great help in creating this book. This also applies to my editor, Vera Spillner, who made a major contribution by asking professional and critical

  questions while giving me careful recommendations. I also want to thank my

  ix

  x Acknowledgement

  editor, Angela Lahee, for making the English edition possible. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Sabine for her affection and endless patience. I

  especially appreciate her for these when I descend into logical questions, float off on stellar winds, or when I’m on the Moon once again.

  Acknowledgement

  xi

  Fig. 1 The Saturn V Moon rocket with Apollo 11 on its way to the Moon. This rocket, the most powerful machine ever built, had a weight of almost 3000 metric tons, a total height of 111 meters, and developed a thrust of 3500 tons, or 160 million horse power.

  Photo: NASA. No.: AP11-KSC-69PC-442

  Contents

  1 Prologue: The Conspiracy of the Faked Moon Landings

  1

  2 Russians, Rockets, and Election Campaigns

  5

  3 Proof I: The Dilemma

  19

  4 Stars are Missing in the Sky

  23

  5 But Look! The Flag Flutters!

  31

  6 A Lamp: Oblique Shadows

  37

  7 Manipulation of the Pictures

  43

  8 Is Everything in Slow Motion?

  51

  9 Telescopes Can See Everything

  57

  10 Warning! Hazardous Radiation!

  63

  11 Too Hot, Too Cold

  69

  xiii

  xiv Contents

  12 The Lander’s Exhaust Plume and Its Crater

  73

  13 Anything Else?

  79

  The Spacesuits Are Too Stiff

  79

  The Blue Windows

  81

  Sharp Footprints Cannot Be Made Without Water

  81

  The Computer Technology

  84

  The Rover Has Problems

  86

  Ghosts in the Lens

  91

  Ghosts on the Screen

  95

  The Rocket Man Meets Walt Disney

  97

  Where Are the Pictures?

  100

  Everything Is a Lie

  101

  14 Proof II: Rocks, Photos, and Stars 103

  Distance Measurements

  103

  Moon Rocks

  107

  Radiowaves and Color TV

  108

  Probe Photos

  113

  The Stars in the Sky

  115

  15 What Can We Learn? 123

  16 Technology, Money, and the Return to the Moon 137

  Appendix A Apollo Drawings 149

  Appendix B The Astronauts of the Moon Landing Missions 163

  1

  Prologue: The Conspiracy of the Faked

  Moon Landings

  A couple of years ago, many friends of mine asked whether I actually believed

  in the American Moon landings of the 60s and 70s. I was not the least bit

  surprised about this question. When I was a child, I unsurprisingly paid close

  attention to the Moon landings and earnestly painted rockets in school. We

  kids knew the names of our heroes by heart and fought over the question of

  who would be the best astronaut. For some reason I thought Jim Lovell from

  Apollo 8 was a particularly good astronaut, but Frank Borman also wasn’t bad.

  My most envied possession was my Apollo-Quartet collectible card game, and

  to feed my enthusiasm, my grandmother sent me a picture book about the

  path to the Moon landings that I absolutely adored. The Moon landings are a

  part of my childhood and they were the grounds for my passion about space,

  as well as for my technical and scientific interests. Lastly, these missions were the foundations as to why I would become an astronomer and why I currently

  work in aerospace engineering management (Fig. 1.1). And now here comes this question!

  I had, of course, realized that for some time in the media, and especially on

  the internet, there was a massive amount of doubt about the authenticity of

  the Moon landings. Based on irritating photographs, people claimed that

  humans had never actually been to the Moon, and that all of the reports,

  films, and results were one enormous trick performed on the entire world. I

  was only partially aware of these conspiracies and never really paid any atten-

  tion to them.

  But then my friends, intelligent people who are able to distinguish between

  serious arguments and fantasies, came to me with these questions. They were

  unsettled by the vario
us claims from the so-called “Moon landing deniers”

  © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  1

  T. Eversberg, The Moon Hoax? , Science and Fiction,

  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05460-1_1

  2

  T. Eversberg

  Fig. 1.1 Earthrise. Photo: NASA/E. Cernan. No.: AS17-152-23274

  and wondered whether there was anything true with their theories. For exam-

  ple, in images of the Moon published by NASA, which are freely available on

  the internet, something seems wrong with the shadows. 1 They don’t appear to run parallel to one another, even though the Sun, which should be the only

  source of light, is so far away! Caught off guard, I investigated some other

  arguments. And indeed, something was wrong in other images as well. They

  appeared confusing and seemingly contradictory, and thus, my interest was

  aroused.

  Generally, I find critical thinkers to be very pleasant, especially those who

  question any statement and don’t just blindly accept such assertions as the

  1 Comprehensive sources for image and film documents are the NASA History Office (http://history.

  nasa.gov) and the Apollo Archive of Kipp Teague (http://www.apolloarchive.com).

  1 Prologue: The Conspiracy of the Faked Moon Landings

  3

  truth. Because of that, and because I like to get to the bottom of things that

  are unclear to me, I was no longer able to ignore the claims from conspiracy

  theorists. Without addressing these assertions, I would not have been true to

  myself or to my skeptical friends, even more so since I am an analytical person

  who has enjoyed an extensive education in the natural sciences. In order to

  view the Moon landings from the proper perspective, we need to take into

  account their enormity and audacity. Humans actively worked towards leav-

  ing their home planet, an unprecedented endeavor symbolizing a break in

  human history; an event of the century. This was even more true because of

  the considerable risks taken by the astronauts during this project. Humans

  had first discovered how to use flying machines just 50 years earlier, and rocket technology was not even 20 years old when the Americans decided to fly to

  the Moon. And because some of the necessary technology for their mission

  didn’t even exist, the idea of making this spectacular leap a reality in only ten years was simply unimaginable. Yes, it was absurd! Was everything just a lie