I’m a little strange. But then I guess you know that by now.
I believe that man did land on the moon for the first time in 1969; I believe that the images I saw of Apollo 11 on that July day were real, the images I saw as a 11-year old in a very crowded USIS in Calcutta (the name and the location may have changed by now, but I think it used to be on Chowringhee then). I believe that there were children like me all over the world, busy trying to memorise the names of the astronauts, the Command Modules and the Lunar Excursion Modules, for every Apollo mission since then, and a few before. I believe the pictures from Apollo 8 were real as well, and I believe I was really excited to see pictures of earth from the dark side of the moon. I believe that Apollo 13 did have a problem, and I believe I was really tense listening to the radio and wondering if they’d make it back safely.
So I don’t understand the conspiracy theorists who believe it was all made up.
And if you’re one of them, don’t despair. In years to come, you should be able to make up your own outer space conspiracy, and join up with like-minded people to act out your fantasy, thanks to NASA. They’ve issued an RFI for the “development of a NASA-based massively multiplayer online learning game“.
Incidentally, for those of you who wonder about the “waste” of space exploration. What I know is this: I cannot remember any other “scientific” event in 50 years that had children all over the world wondering, dreaming, listening, learning, yearning. What I know is this: when Neil Armstrong said “That’s one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind” (you can listen here) I wasn’t thinking, the US made it to the moon; my first thought was, Man had made it. Mankind had made it. What I know is this: even today, I hold what was done by NASA with awe and reverence.
Good to see this technology moving in this direction. My gut tells me that NASA will end up learning, too. With enough engagement, they’ll have data on all kinds of contingencies. Better than that, you know “the kids” are going to find capabilities in the environment that nobody expected, potentially leading to whole new applications or even technologies. Can you imagine a revolutionary propulsion system developed by half-a-million 15 year olds? I can.
So you go, NASA! Makes me proud to be a Yank. Talking of which, time to go watch the national side take on the Swedes. (Yes, we know about the beautiful game here, too. Poor Fulham, which should be every American’s BPL side.)
Slightly off topic, but apropos of conspiracy theories – I always thought that large-scale conspiracies weren’t possible because someone was going to talk. That is until I read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. The Holocaust was both meticulously documented AND completely secret until after the war ended. When humans put their cleverness to evil purpose, anything is possible.
back in 2002, Buzz Aldrin “allegedly” smacked a conspiracy nut (with a history of harrassing astronauts). No charges wer laid
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/11/entertainment/main521663.shtml
Sibrel said “He has a good punch. It was quick too. I didn’t see it coming.”
July 1969, I was 13 and my brother and I watched the first moon walk in the early morning in a Heathrow airport hotel waiting for our flight to Karachi to be with our parents
Contrary to what many hoax-believers think, believing that the Moon landings were faked is NOT “keeping an open mind”. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Surely they are incapable of understanding that human beings can put their minds together and work together in order to achieve something so mind-bogglingly remarkable – for all mankind.
Looking at the world today – and how it’s always been – it’s really difficult to believe that warring, fighting, arguing, bickering, petty PEOPLE could *ever* do something as remarkable as stepping off our tiny planet and venturing into the cosmos. Believing that human beings *can* do that requires one’s mind to be vastly open.
Moon hoax believers are close-minded, negative, distrustful and fearful. Doesn’t sound like a happy place to be. I’d rather be in the stars.
Good point Gia. Too many people throw away common sense while “trying to keep an open mind”.