July 20, 1969, became an important day in history when, after days of orbiting the earth on the Apollo 11 spacecraft, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their lunar module, Eagle, onto new territory and became the first men ever to step foot on the moon.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of this prolific moonwalk, but through the years, several conspiracy theories have developed, claiming that this and other moon landing missions were faked.
“As many as 20 percent of Americans think that the moon landings were false, which creates a lot of doubt in the minds of the public,” says Jeremy Veldman, president of Memphis Astronomical Society. “The moon landings are a critical piece of American history. Not only was it one of the greatest achievements in the history of science, but also in the history of our democracy. It’s been 50 years since the first moon landing, and we’ve got a generation of people coming up who didn’t witness it. And they think, well, if it didn’t happen in my lifetime, then maybe it is impossible that it happened.”
Jeremy Veldman, MAS
See you on the dark side of the moon.
Veldman will lead a meeting this Friday at Christian Brothers University to address a few of the many conspiracy theories that have been generated over the years and debunk them with supporting evidence.
Memphis Astronomical Society leads meetings once a month discussing a range of topics that, in the past, have included stellar evolution, dark matter and dark energy, and taking a picture of an exoplanet.
The Apollo Hoax and Late Lunar Landings, Science Auditorium of Assisi Hall at Christian Brothers University, Friday, September 6th, 8 p.m., free.