Man on the moon

[AndCity]

This thread is very loosely photography based ... With the anniversary of the first man on the moon I have been contemplating all the conspiracy theories. I desperately want to believe man did walk on the moon but some of the alternative theories does make you begin to think...

I have been airing this question to anyone who'll listen but have not had a definitive answer - with all the modern day technology (and here's the photography bit) why can't the debris from the lunar landing be seen and photographed to prove all the doubters wrong? Surely this can be possible?

I will be away from my computer for 24 hours now, looking forward to your answers will get me through my 14 hour shift tomorrow!

[sfisher]

The problem is that no telescope has the resolution to resolve objects as small as the lunar lander remains on the surface of the Moon. Have a look at the Wiki entry on this subject here.

There is a chance that NASA's Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter could photograph them, but then you run into another problem. If the 'moon hoax' idiots don't believe the vast quantity of evidence currently available, what makes you think a few more photos will convince them?

[Jim Bryant]

Who knows. There's rumor that it was all filmed on a back lot secret location. I know at the time that NASA needed a victory of sorts to pull ahead of the Russians in the space race. WIth what the U.S. Government has pulled in the past, who knows if it was truly real or not.
As Fleetwood Mac once titled an album, "It's a Mystery to Me!" But then again we have "Moon Rocks"

[Taallyn]

My optical mineralogy professor in college was one of the NASA geologists that analyzed the moon rocks on a couple of the later Apollo missions. Through his contacts, we were able to use some of NASA's lunar sample packs they have available for universities. So, yeah I got to study some of the actual Apollo samples in college. Most of them were thin sections on slides, but it was still quite a treat at the time.

[AndCity]

Thanks for your replies - I never realised you'd need a telescope THAT powerful. I'm still convinced they did go to the moon. I just wish my dad had woken me up in 1969 when they landed on the moon - but I was only six!

[sfisher]

I just saw an article on the BBC News with photos of the Apollo 14 landing site from the LRO I mentioned in my earlier post:

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | New images of Moon landing sites

Higher resolution photos from the LRO should be available eventually, it would seem. Even with a camera in lunar orbit, it's difficult to pick the objects out!

[AndCity]

Originally Posted by sfisher

I just saw an article on the BBC News with photos of the Apollo 14 landing site from the LRO I mentioned in my earlier post:

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | New images of Moon landing sites

Higher resolution photos from the LRO should be available eventually, it would seem. Even with a camera in lunar orbit, it's difficult to pick the objects out!

Well, this should eventually shut up the doubters.

[Homebrew]

Originally Posted by AndCity

Well, this should eventually shut up the doubters.

It won't. They claim that all the contemporary evidence was faked -- how much of a stretch will it be to claim that this is faked too?

Conspiracy theorists are either mentally ill or they are charlatans who bilk the mentally ill out of their money. All of them. For the mentally ill ones, you could bring them to the moon and back and they'll still say, "OK, yeah, but it was still faked back in '69." And the charlatans won't stop lying until they've taken the last dollar out of the wallet of the last fool.

[ressalg]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

It won't. They claim that all the contemporary evidence was faked -- how much of a stretch will it be to claim that this is faked too?

Conspiracy theorists are either mentally ill or they are charlatans who bilk the mentally ill out of their money. All of them. For the mentally ill ones, you could bring them to the moon and back and they'll still say, "OK, yeah, but it was still faked back in '69." And the charlatans won't stop lying until they've taken the last dollar out of the wallet of the last fool.

I couldn't agree more. To see Buzz Aldrin's (second man on the moon) reaction to one of the main hoaxer's opinion on the moon landings, do a search on Youtube for "Buzz Aldrin Punch". It's freakin' hillarious!

[ressalg]

Originally Posted by AndCity

This thread is very loosely photography based ... With the anniversary of the first man on the moon I have been contemplating all the conspiracy theories. I desperately want to believe man did walk on the moon but some of the alternative theories does make you begin to think...

I have been airing this question to anyone who'll listen but have not had a definitive answer - with all the modern day technology (and here's the photography bit) why can't the debris from the lunar landing be seen and photographed to prove all the doubters wrong? Surely this can be possible?

I will be away from my computer for 24 hours now, looking forward to your answers will get me through my 14 hour shift tomorrow!

For a comprehensive and scientific debunking of all the "evidence" for faked moon landings see this website:

Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Bad TV