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You want proof that man has walked on the moon? Absolute, can't deny it, cast-iron proof? Forget about the photos, forget about the videos and films, forget about the assurances of thousands of people who worked on the Apollo projects. Quite frankly none of the hoax theories concerning these matter a jot if ultimately you have separate, solid proof. And here it is...
The Clementine Lunar orbiter has taken photographs of the moon's surface. They're not detailed enough to see any small features on the surface such as a lunar module, but that hasn't stopped people looking.
This is a composite picture of the area that Apollo 15 landed in. This mission spent 3 days on the moon's surface, far longer than earlier missions. This gave the astronauts far more time to stir up dust in the surrounding area. This coupled with the disturbance cause by the lander's rockets made enough of a mark on the lunar surface to be just visible on the photograph. The dark spot indicated by arrow A corresponds exactly to that landing site. Arrows B & C show recent meteor impacts.
Now I'd be the first to admit that this isn't conclusive proof, but still evidence and the clearest pictures we're going to get until the SELENE mission.
The Apollo astronauts brought back to Earth some rocks from the moon. We know for certain that they came from the moon. 100% certain. They are like nothing else on Earth and they couldn't have been constructed artificially because they bear the evidence of billions of years exposure to a vacuum, high energy cosmic rays, tiny asteroids and virtually no water. Nothing on Earth could replicated this, either naturally or man-made.
A close up of a lunar rock.
So how do we know they didn't just fall as asteroids? NASA certainly has examples of these that have been collected from various parts of the world. We can rule asteroids out, however, as they all have the scorching and oxidation inevitable from their fiery entry to the world through the atmosphere. The Apollo moon rocks, of course, show none of this.
But don't take my word for it. Here's geologist Callum MacAlister's, who told me about this, explanation;
Moon rocks are certainly non-terrestrial basalt in origin, and do not match in composition any other extraterrestrial rocks (i.e. meteorites). I could go on at great and boring length about QAPF diagrams, intergrown feldspars, oxygen-depleted micas and the like. But I won't.
So, my point? I KNOW man went to the moon. There's no other way moon rocks could have come here. If they had fallen as meteorites, the atmosphere would have oxidized them in a most obvious way. These rocks are genuine, and have spent, oh, the last 5 billion years or so in an oxygen-poor, radiation-bombarded environment (fusion trails...ask me later)
So there we have it. And you don't have to just trust Callum here. Hundreds of other geologists have examined these rocks. None of them have any doubt as to their origin.
Now I know that some people have problems taking a Scientist's word on things. I guess it has something to do with not wanting to admit that there are some things you don't understand and some things that require years of study to master. Their reasoning seems to go; I don't understand it. It doesn't appear to fit into what I have decided is common sense and what I know. I know better than this person who has maybe spent the majority of their life studying this. Therefore it is lies.
It must be comforting to be so sure of your own infallibility. I, however, until I see some evidence to doubt it, am prepared to take Callum's word.
This can be done by just about anyone. Ok, maybe not everyone, but plenty have done it and it proves men have been up there.
Basically all you do is buy a laser and a detector and a light collecting mirror. Then you fire it at a precise point on the moon. There is a reflector there, placed by Apollo astronauts. Now if there was nothing at that point but rock that would be the last you would see of your laser. But time and time again scientist claim to have been getting their laser reflected back. Indeed, they have done a number of experiments using these reflectors. This experiment has provided a very accurate method of measuring the distance to the moon. Due to these measurements we can now tell that the moon is actually steadily receding from the Earth.
So either you're going to argue that all these unrelated scientists are in on the hoax with NASA, or you have to accept that someone put those reflectors up there.
Some have complained that the reflector could have been put up by an automated drone, which I suppose is feasible. But NASA records attribute their presence to being placed there by their astronauts on Apollo 11.
Quite a few people write to me now about the SELENE project. This is a Japanese space mission that will place an orbiter around the moon in the year 2003. Part of the tasks it will complete is a mapping of the moon's surface at a resolution that should make it possible to see the Apollo landing sites. This will be proof positive indeed.
Unfortunately it won't put an end to the hoax theories, that I can guarantee. Here's what the hoax geeks will be saying in a couple of years time. Yes, they're that predictable.
The thing about the hoax theories is they are based on either blind faith or ruthless capitalist marketing. Facts make no difference to either.