Men on the moon

[skelly]

When was the last time anyone landed on the moon? I think it was a long time ago, maybe 25 years. So why don't we go there anymore? I don't believe that anyone has ever been and they know that they might have been able to kid us on in the 60's and 70's but they can't kid us on in 2003.

[darth vader]

You are possibly quite correct - this is a great subject for USA conspiracy theories and there is much interest on the net, both pro and anti moon landings conspiracy. My favourite is http://batesmotel.8m.com/ - as they say "the camera never lies"

personally i visit there quite often when i want to be alone (not physically of course, i just use the force...)

[Cathy]

I believe that man was last on the moon in 1972. The reason that no-one's been back since is that it costs a lot of money. There is no space race and no assasinated president's promise, so there's no impetus to return. Finally, I don't believe this conspiracy theory. I'm not convinced that anyone is really that clever, and the "evidence" to back it up can be disproved. http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/moonhoax.html

[skelly]

This conspiracy theory was something that just came to me recently, I didn't realise other people had thought about it in so much detail. Cathy and darth, you 2 should go and look at each others web site links, both fantastic viewing.

[darth vader]

sorry i didn't make it quite clear, i'm not really pro or anti conspiracy. In fact i think the most probable answer is that they weren't sure they would accomplish it so they shot most of it in a studio, but then they actually did do it and merged both versions together.....

[Miss Zippy]

But technology has come on in leaps and bounds since the first moon landing, so why couldn't 'they' fool us now? I think 'we' are just as gullible as ever; that hasn't changed.

[Pickle]

I'm with Cathy. I can't imagine the Russians letting NASA get away with faking the moon landings. If the live TV pictures had been coming from somewhere on earth, the Russians would have noticed. No way would they have kept their mouths shut about it either!

[simon_says]

Of course the Americans landed on the Moon. Some people have too much time on their hands....

[rogersaurus]

Quite frankly there isn't much point. We know almost all there is to know about the moon and it's expensive to go there. Also, all manned (and womanned!) space travel carries some degree of risk as recent events have testified. And yes, they did really go to the moon. The X-files generation (particularly in the States) are eager to believe any conspiracy theory going.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Check this: -

It's target=_blank>http://www.lunaranomalies.com/fake-moon.htm

-

It's from some conspiracy theorists who themselves hate the moon hoax! This evidence is available in quite a few sites on the web.

[darth vader]

re Pickle's comments - there are some that say the Russians were doing the same thing (and therefore couldn't expose the US). Anyway won't we find the answer out in 2044 when the secret papers become public?

[Pickle]

We might know one way or the other soon. Apparently NASA are building a telescope powerful to see the moon's surface. But then the conspiracy theorists will probably call those pictures fakes as well! http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/24/10376979
82142.html

[darth vader]

It won't prove they put men on the moon but it will prove they actually went there. Brilliant! (European astronomers will man the telescope so i think USA doctoring of the pictures is unlikely...)

[sft42]

This has been debated on the site a few times but heck it's a good 'un so here we go again.....I think it's entirely possible that the americans did fake the footage....after all the loss of face if the russians had got there first would have been enormous and don't forget the Cold war tension at that time was palpable in each US home....BTW i think it would have been fair of Pickle to nail his/her colours to the mast on this one being in the US you might be biased...As for not visiting well scientifically it's all been done and the moon is just a pretty lifeless lump of rock so it's not worth the expense....furthermore to all this is there any chance we could have a debates section on the AB and maybe have a debate of the week where we could all bash out stuff like this???

[Gef]

A good debate and a good suggestion from sft42. Any doubters out there should have a look at http://www.thekeyboard.org.uk/Did%20we%20land%20on
%20the%20Moon I also agree with Cathy and to add that the Shuttle program has been run as a commercial enterprise with no obvious benefits (other than purely scientific) for going to the moon.

[Pickle]

There was another great debate on this subject in Fortean Times (Journal of Strange Phenomena). They ran an article trying to prove the photos were faked and got a huge response from their readers. http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/097_moon.shtm
l BTW sft42, I think you could be of the opinion that I'm American. I'm not, I'm British. I did recently return from living in the States so that could be where the confusion originated. Bit unfair to call me biased perhaps.

[mikewith]

Just to answer the actual question (assuming the hoax and conspiracy theorists will let me) the sixth and (so far) final mission to the moon was Apollo XVII: launched 07 December 1972, landed on moon 11 December 1972, returned to earth 19 December 1972. (Source: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.
html )

[sft42]

My apologies Pickle.....and i retract that point then. if anyone still wonders about this do a search on the Van Allen belt and the assoiciated radation as well!

[fraserjim]

when my uncle Sid tried to fix our gas boiler