Conspiracy Theories and Hoaxes

The most consistently seen argument of moon hoax believers, is why, in a land with no air, the American flag stands up and waves, instead of falling down to the ground? And yes, if you look closely at the moon flag video clip, (Realtime player required.) it does appear as if Neil is fighting with the USA flag. But, if you look even closer, you can see that the flag is only flapping when Neil is holding it, and trying to twist the flag into the ground. (You can’t see this that well because of convenient editing.). Because of this the flag waving can be accounted for by Neil twisting the pole.

Radiation would kill the Apollo astronauts.

Many conspiracists believe that NASA never left the Earth’s atmosphere, because of the amount of radiation in The Van Allen radiation belt would kill an astronaut. But with help from other sources (thanks clavius moon base) We can determine if this is true. The American legal radiation limit below are a helpful.

If a worker must deal with radioactive materials in the course of his job, his legal limit is higher: 5 rem (50 millisieverts, mSv) per year. If a worker is in the vicinity of radioactive materials but does not work with them, the limit is 0.1 rem (1 mSv). For persons younger than 18 and pregnant women, the occupational exposure is 0.5 (5 mSv) per year. These are measurements above the natural background radiation limits, and are measured by dosimeters and other equipment in the area where the exposure takes place. (Standards for Protection Against Radiation. 10 CFR § 20.)

Whether the conspiracy was possible or if there was a motive for faking the landings, is a big part of the moon hoax.

Many conspiracy debunkers say that there was no reason for the US to fake the moon landings.

This is false, as at the time America was publicly losing the space race, as Russia had put the:

First man/woman in space.
First animal in space.
First three person mission in space.
And the first space station in orbit.