Episode #91 – Why Deny the Moon Landings? (Part I)

As we near the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission many have started to reflect on the legacy of the moon landings. However, in 2019 it’s hard to discuss this amazing human achievement without mentioning that it has also been the subject of one of the most tenacious and widely believed conspiracy theories. As the moon landings move further in our collective rear-view do they risk becoming labelled “fake history”. Tune in and find out how Nazi scientists, farmers meeting a spaceman, and Buzz Aldrin punching a guy all play a role in the story.

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Works Cited

Brzezinski, Matthew. Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age. Bloomsbury, 2008.

Das, Saswato R. “The Moon Landing through Soviet Eyes: A Q&A with Sergei Khrushchev, Son of Former Premier Nikita Khrushchev.” Scientific American, 16 July 2009, www.scientificamerican.com/article/apollo-moon-khrushchev/.

Donovan, Jim. Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11. Little Brown and Co, 2019.

Hardesty, Von, et al. Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race. National Geographic, 2007.

Kaysing, Bill. We Never Went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle. New Saucerian Press, 2017.

Little, Becky. “The Soviet Response to the Moon Landing? Denial There Was a Moon Race at All.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 July 2019, www.history.com/news/space-race-soviet-union-moon-landing-denial.

Plait, Philip C. Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing ‘Hoax’. Wiley, 2002.

Scudder, Jillian. “Why Aren’t The Van Allen Belts A Barrier To Spaceflight?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 16 June 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/jillianscudder/2017/06/16/astroquizzical-van-allen-belts-barrier-spaceflight/#172606336f8d.

Smith, Andrew. Moondust: in Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth. Bloomsbury, 2019.Waxman, Olivia B. “The History of Neil Armstrong’s One Small Step for Man Quote.” Time, Time, 15 July 2019, time.com/5621999/neil-armstrong-quote/.

Waxman, Olivia B. “The History of Neil Armstrong’s One Small Step for Man Quote.” Time, Time, 15 July 2019, time.com/5621999/neil-armstrong-quote/.