The first earthlings to land on the moon were American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Let's talk about them.

Neil Alden Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong(19300805) - American astronaut of NASA ( National Aeronautics and Space Administration), test pilot, space engineer, university professor, US naval pilot, the first person to set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969 during the Apollo 11 lunar expedition.

Initial biography

Neil Armstrong was born in 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, the son of a state government auditor. He is of Scottish-Irish and German descent. Due to his father's work, the family often moved from city to city until they settled in Wapakonet in 1944. Neil was an active participant in the Boy Scouts of America, and in 1947 began studying the aviation industry at Purdue University. The government took over the payment of his college tuition, and in return Neil pledged to serve 3 years in the army after two years of training. Upon graduation from the University, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. And in 1070 he received a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.

Way to space

He served in the US Navy at the Lewis Research Center as a test pilot and tested jet aircraft. He took part in the Korean War, flew 78 sorties in a fighter-bomber and was shot down once. Was awarded: Aviation Medal and two Gold Stars.

In 1958 he was enrolled in a group in which they were preparing for flights on an experimental rocket plane, in 1960 his first flight took place. In total, he made 7 flights, but soon became disillusioned with these flights and left their group. But already in September 1962 he was enrolled in the 2nd set of NASA astronauts.

First space flight

Armstrong's first flight took place in March 1966: he was the crew commander of the Gemini 8 spacecraft. He and astronaut David Scott performed the first docking of two spaceships (with the Agena unmanned target rocket). The flight was interrupted ahead of schedule due to a serious malfunction in the ship's attitude control thrusters, which threatened the lives of the astronauts.

Second space flight to the moon

In July 1969, Armstrong commanded the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which was tasked with the first ever lunar landing. On July 20, he became the first person to set foot on the lunar surface. Read about this flight on our website: First flight to the moon. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent two and a half hours on the lunar surface.

Visit to the USSR

In 1970, Neil Armstrong visited the USSR: he was in Leningrad at a conference of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) at the International Council for Science. After the end of the conference, he, accompanied by cosmonauts Georgy Beregovoy and Konstantin Feoktistov, visited Novosibirsk, and then Moscow, where he spoke at the Academy of Sciences of the SSS. Later, Armstrong told reporters that the most touching and exciting for him during his entire stay were meetings with Valentina Gagarina and Valentina Komarova, widows of the deceased cosmonauts.

After the end of space activities

Armstrong left his job at NASA in 1971, until 1979 taught at the University of Cincinnati, was a member of the National Committee on Cosmonautics, vice-chairman of the commission of inquiry that studied the circumstances of the downing of the Challenger shuttle. I was in business.

In 1999 he took part in the television project "BBC: Planets" as an expert.

On August 7, 2012, Armstrong underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. But due to complications that arose after the operation, he died on August 25, 2012.

His family made a remarkable statement in connection with his death, it ended with the words: “... to those who may ask how they can pay tribute to Neal, we have a simple request. Honor the example of service, achievement, and humility he set. And the next time you go outside on a fine evening and see the moon smiling at you, think of Neil Armstrong and wink at him. "

And astronaut Michael Collins said very simply: "He was the best, and I will miss him terribly."

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin (Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.)- American aeronautical engineer, retired US Air Force colonel and NASA astronaut. Member of the Korean War. Served as a pilot of the lunar module of the Apollo 11 mission, which made the first ever manned moon landing ... On July 21, 1969, he became the second person to set foot on the lunar surface., after mission commander Neil Armstrong.

Early biography

Edwin Aldrin was born in 1930 in the small town of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the son of Officer Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr. The Aldrin family has Scottish, Swedish and German roots. After graduating from high school in Montclair in 1946, he entered Military academy USA at West Point. Aldrin got the nickname “Buzz” as a child: his younger sister could not pronounce the word “brother” and shortened it to “buzzer”, and then “buzz” in general. In 1988, Aldrin officially changed his name to Buzz.

After graduating from the Military Academy in 1951, he received a bachelor's degree in technical sciences. In the same year he joined the US Air Force and completed flight training as a fighter pilot. In 1953 he took part in the Korean War as a pilot of the F-86 "Saber" aircraft. He flew 66 sorties and shot down two MiG-15 aircraft.

Way to space

In October 1963, Aldrin joined NASA's third group of astronauts.

The first flight

He first went into space as a pilot for Gemini 12 from November 11 to 15, 1966 (the spacecraft was commanded by James Lovell, later the commander of the heroic Apollo 13 flight). This was the last flight of the Gemini series spacecraft, during which it made 59 revolutions around the Earth.

The main purpose of the flight was rendezvous and docking with the Agena-XII target, lifting it into an orbit with an altitude of 555.6 km and going into outer space. Secondary tasks: 14 different experiments, practicing docking maneuvers and automatic landing. Aldrin made three successful spacewalks, during which the skills of moving and performing various works were practiced, and in one of the exits a cable was attached to the Agena hull. With the help of the attached cable, gravitational stabilization of the Gemini-Agena link was carried out. The duration of the exit was 5 hours 30 minutes. This flight proved that astronauts can work effectively in outer space. Aldrin became the first person to walk into outer space three times.

In subsequent years, he was twice a crew backup.

Second flight

In January 1969, Aldrin was appointed pilot of the Apollo 11 lunar module. July 21, 1969 Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the second person to set foot on another celestial body, having made a kilometer walk on the surface of the moon. This was his fourth exit into an airless space, than he broke his own previous world record.

Buzz Aldrin is a supporter of the Presbyterian Church. After landing on the moon, he reported to Earth: "I want to take this opportunity and ask everyone who hears me to think over the events of the last hours and give thanks in the most acceptable way for everyone." At the same time, Aldrin, using the rights of an elder of the Presbyterian Church, held a short private service with the sacrament.

After NASA

After retiring from NASA in July 1971, Aldrin became director of the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In March 1972, after 21 years in the Air Force, Aldrin retired. The tension in preparation for the flight and the shock of landing on the moon had a negative impact on Aldrin. There was no longer a target comparable to a flight to the moon. He became depressed and started drinking a little. As a result, he had to go to the San Antonio Hospital for treatment. Published in 1973 and 2009 respectively, his autobiographical books Return to Earth and Magnificent Desolation chronicle his struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism in the early years after leaving NASA. His life changed dramatically when he married Lois Cannon for the third time in 1987.

After leaving NASA, he continues to promote space exploration. In 1972 he founded a consulting company and became its president. In 1985 he became a professor at the Center for Aerospace Science at the University of North Dakota. In 1996 he founded a company in Laguna Beach and is its president.

He sees NASA's goal for the next two decades to return to the moon and then fly to Mars.

For almost 40 years, no man has set foot on the moon. The last lunar expedition with the participation of people, according to official data, took place in December 1972 on the American spacecraft Apollo 17. But there were rumors that there was another mission with which something supposedly happened. All information on this flight was strictly classified. And now materials have been published that will become a real sensation ...

This is just a version of the science fiction film Apollo 18, directed by Russian producer Timur Bekmambetov. It is known that the Apollo 18 flight was indeed scheduled in the United States for 1974. Everything was ready for the mission: the launch vehicle, the lunar module, the crew. But it allegedly did not take place. Why?

Ah, Apollo, ah, Apollo! ..

The Apollo space program was adopted by the US government in 1961. Her task was ambitious - to send the first man to the moon. It is believed that the American authorities pursued not so much scientific as political goals - to achieve superiority in space over the USSR.

The Americans approached the moon gradually. The first "Apollo" with astronauts on board first flew in near-earth orbit, then began to go into the orbit of the moon. It is known that one of the first ships caught fire on the launch pad and the crew from three people died.

However, at the cost of enormous material costs, scientific research and human sacrifice, the Moon was subdued to the Americans. On July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first to step onto its surface. The whole world then flew around his words: "This is one small step for a person, but a giant leap for all mankind."

Armstrong and his colleague Edwin Aldrin then spent 21 hours 36 minutes on the moon. They managed to take with them 28 kilograms of lunar soil. In the lunar orbit in the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the third crew member, Michael Collins, was waiting for the astronauts. The three of them returned safely to Earth.

Then, within three years, five more American manned spaceships visited the moon. Astronauts took out about 380 kilograms of lunar rocks, learned to move around the moon on a lunar rover. In the early 70s, American newspapers excitedly wrote about the brilliant prospects for the development of a satellite planet.

It was assumed that it would be possible to place rocket bases on the moon, extract minerals and even build a launch pad there for flights to other planets. In 1974, the flights of Apollo 18, Apollo 19 and Apollo 20 were to take place. But unexpectedly, the government abruptly curtailed the entire program.

The official reason for this decision was the lack of money in the treasury. The Apollo program is estimated to have cost the United States between $ 25 billion and $ 30 billion. It was said that lunar dust was 35 times more expensive than diamonds, and each lunar module would cost 15 times less if made of pure gold.

Therefore, they say, the American President Richard Nixon, who at that time was bogged down in a costly war in Vietnam, and made such a decision - to cut funding for Apollo. He is said to have always disliked this project, which was the brainchild of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy.

Moreover, the main political goal of the Apollo program has already been achieved. “We needed to take revenge after Soviet cosmonaut Gagarin was the first to fly into space,” explained one NASA (US National Space Administration) employee. - Well, they flew, proved the power of American science and technology ... ". What else was needed?

However, many have noticed a strange detail. The main costs of the last Apollo flights in 1972 have already been made. Saturn launch vehicles and lunar modules were built, crews were completed. So the savings in space were not too big.

And was it worth abandoning a large-scale project for her sake? Or were there other, more compelling reasons for this, which the government chose to remain silent about?

restricted area

There is a version that the Americans encountered something very dangerous on the moon, which scared them. Most likely - with some manifestations of the activities of extraterrestrial civilizations. At least in the 70s, American newspapers began to write about this cautiously.

Former NASA director Christopher Kraft, for example, after leaving his post, released a recording of the talks between astronaut Neil Armstrong and the mission control center in Houston. From this conversation, it becomes clear that during the first flight to the moon, American astronauts saw a UFO!

“These are gigantic contraptions ...” Armstrong says excitedly. - No, no, this is not an optical illusion ... There are other spaceships here. They stand in a straight line on the other side of the crater ... They are watching us ... The structure of these objects is simply incredible. I haven't seen anything like it until now! Look, they are moving up ... "

“We can clearly see two objects,” says the staff of the Control Center in Houston. - Can you photograph something? Are they in front of you? Are there any UFO noises? What's in there? Repeat your last message! The control center calls "Apollo 11" ... The connection was interrupted ... "

According to Kraft, three flying saucers accompanied the Apollo 11 during the flight to the moon, and then landed on the edge of the crater. Armstrong and Aldrin allegedly saw with their own eyes how aliens in spacesuits emerged from the "plates". They did not come into contact with American astronauts ...

They say that not a single Apollo flight was without strange sightings. Apollo 12, which launched on November 14, 1969, was allegedly accompanied in space by two unknown luminous objects, which repeated all the maneuvers of the American ship.

The Apollo 15 astronauts seemed to have seen a huge "saucer" flying over the surface of the moon. The crew of Apollo 16 on the lunar surface saw a huge UFO in the shape of a cylinder with a sharp tip. And the astronauts from Apollo 17 saw moving luminous objects on the slope of the lunar mountain.

"During the Apollo manned missions, there were strange sightings from spacecraft, the origins of which the astronauts could not explain," NASA chief information officer Donald Tsistra said in a speech to politicians in Washington.

However, the greatest horror had to be experienced by the crew of Apollo 13, which could not reach the Moon at all. On the way to lunar orbit, an oxygen tank exploded, causing the main ship to be de-energized. The astronauts were saved only due to the fact that they moved to the lunar module of the ship, where there was oxygen.

Mission Control Center was able to turn Apollo 13 back and put it into low-Earth orbit. After six days of space wanderings, the astronauts, sick, frightened and terribly exhausted, returned to Earth.

There were rumors that a nuclear explosive device was on board Apollo 13. Say, they wanted to blow it up on the moon for some scientific purposes such as seismic research. However, the explosion was supposedly prevented by aliens, setting up an accident on the ship.

Whether this is true or not is unknown, but the Apollo 13 astronauts allegedly saw some mysterious lights from the windows ... After this story, it finally became clear that space was not a joke.

Apollo 18

In the film, produced by Timur Bekmambetov, the Apollo 18 mission is still sent to the moon in the strictest secrecy. Astronauts encounter aggressive and unknown life forms on a satellite planet. As a result, none of them return to Earth ...

Could this be true? Why not. Astronaut Neil Armstrong is credited with the words that he allegedly dropped in an interview about flights to the moon: "We were given to understand that the place is occupied." If we assume that the last flight of the Americans to the moon really ended tragically, it becomes clear why in the last 40 years they have not gone there ...

MOSCOW, July 20 - RIA Novosti. The renowned cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who personally prepared to participate in the Soviet lunar exploration program, denied long-standing rumors that American astronauts had not been on the Moon, and that the footage broadcast on television around the world was allegedly edited in Hollywood.

He told about this in an interview with RIA Novosti on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first in the history of mankind landing of US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin on the surface of a satellite of the Earth, celebrated on July 20.

So were the Americans on the moon or were they not?

“Only absolutely ignorant people can seriously believe that the Americans have not been to the moon. And, unfortunately, this whole ridiculous epic about frames allegedly fabricated in Hollywood began with the Americans themselves. By the way, the first person who began to distribute these rumors, he was imprisoned for libel, "said Alexei Leonov in this regard.

Where did the rumors come from?

"It all began when, at the celebration of the 80th birthday of the famous American film director Stanley Kubrick, who created his brilliant film" The Odyssey of 2001 "based on the book of science fiction writer Arthur Clarke, the journalists who met with Kubrick's wife asked to talk about her husband's work on the film in And she honestly said that there are only two real lunar modules on Earth - one in a museum, where no filming has ever been conducted, and even additional surveys of the American landing on the moon were carried out, "the Soviet cosmonaut specified.

Why was studio filming used?

Alexey Leonov explained that in order for the viewer to be able to see the development of what is happening from beginning to end on the cinema screen, elements of additional filming are used in any cinema.

“For example, it was impossible to film the real opening of the hatch of the descent ship on the Moon by Neil Armstrong - there was simply no one to remove it from the surface! Kubrick in Hollywood studios to develop the logic of what was happening, and laid the foundation for numerous gossip that the entire landing was allegedly simulated on the set, "explained Alexei Leonov.

Where Truth Begins and Editing Ends

"The real filming began when Armstrong, who first set foot on the moon, got used to it a little, installed a highly directional antenna through which the broadcast to Earth was carried out. His partner Buzz Aldrin then also came out of the ship to the surface and began to shoot Armstrong, who in turn filmed its movement on the surface of the Moon ", - said the astronaut.

Why did the American flag fly in the airless space of the moon?

“The argument is that the American flag was waving on the moon, but it shouldn't. The flag really should not be fluttering - the fabric was used with a rather rigid reinforced mesh, the cloth was twisted into a tube and tucked into a cover. The astronauts took a nest with them, which they first inserted into the lunar soil, and then stuck the flag pole into it, and only then took off the cover. And when the cover was removed, the flag cloth began to unfold in conditions of low gravity, and the residual deformation of the springy reinforced mesh created the impression that the flag was flapping like in the wind. " , - explained the "phenomenon" Alexei Leonov.

"To argue that the entire film was filmed on Earth is simply ridiculous and ridiculous. In the United States, there were all the necessary systems that tracked the launch of the launch vehicle itself, acceleration, correction of the flight orbit, orbiting the moon by the descent capsule and its landing," concluded the famous Soviet cosmonaut.

Where did the "moon race" lead two space superpowers

"In my opinion, this is the best competition in space that mankind has ever carried out. The" moon race "between the USSR and the United States is the achievement of the highest peaks of science and technology," Alexei Leonov believes.

According to him, after the flight of Yuri Gagarin, US President Kennedy, speaking in Congress, said that the Americans were simply too late to think about what triumph could be achieved by launching a man into space, and therefore the Russians triumphantly became the first. Kennedy's message was clearly stated: within ten years, land a man on the moon and safely return him back to Earth.

"It was a very correct step of the great politician - he united and rallied the American nation to achieve this goal. Huge funds at that time were also involved - $ 25 billion, today, this is, perhaps, all fifty billion. The program provided for a circumnavigation of the Moon, then Tom Stafford's flight to the hovering point and selection of a landing site for Apollo-10. The Apollo-11 dispatch provided for the direct landing of Neil Armstrong and Bazz Aldrin on the moon. Michael Collins remained in orbit and waited for his comrades to return, " - said Alexey Leonov.

18 Apollo-class ships were made to prepare for the landing on the moon - the whole program was implemented perfectly, except for Apollo-13 - from the engineering point of view, nothing special happened there, it just went out of order, or rather, one of the fuel cells exploded , the energy weakened, and therefore it was decided not to land on the surface, but to fly around the moon and return to Earth.

Alexei Leonov noted that only Frank Borman's first flyby of the Moon, then the landing of Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon, and the story of Apollo 13 remained in the memory of the Americans. These accomplishments have rallied the American nation and made everyone empathize, walk with fingers crossed, and pray for their heroes. The last flight of the Apollo series was also extremely interesting: American astronauts no longer just walked on the Moon, but rode on its surface in a special lunomobile and made interesting footage.

In fact, it was the peak of the Cold War, and in this situation, after the success of Yuri Gagarin, the Americans simply had to win the "moon race". The USSR then had its own lunar program, and we also implemented it. By 1968, it had already existed for two years, and even the crews of our astronauts were formed for the flight to the Moon.

On censorship of human achievements

"The launches of the Americans in the framework of the lunar program were broadcast on television, and only two countries in the world - the USSR and communist China - did not broadcast these historical footage to their peoples. I thought then, and now I think - in vain, we just robbed our people , the flight to the moon is the property and achievement of all mankind. The Americans watched the launch of Gagarin, Leonov's spacewalk - why the Soviet people could not see it ?! ", Alexei Leonov laments.

According to him, a limited group of Soviet space specialists watched these launches on a closed channel.

“We had military unit 32103 on Komsomolsky Prospekt, which provided space broadcasting, since there was no MCC in Korolev at that time. The Americans put up a television antenna on the surface of the Moon, and everything they did there was transmitted through a TV camera to Earth, several replays of these TV broadcasts were also made. , Soviet cosmonauts, also crossed their fingers for good luck, and sincerely wished the guys success, "recalls the Soviet cosmonaut.

How was the implementation of the Soviet lunar program

"In 1962, a decree was issued, signed personally by Nikita Khrushchev, on the creation of a spacecraft for flying around the Moon and the use of a Proton carrier rocket with an upper stage for this launch. In 1964, Khrushchev signed a program for the USSR to fly around the Moon in 1967. , and in 1968 - landing on the Moon and returning to Earth. And in 1966 there was already a decree on the formation of lunar crews - a group was immediately recruited to land on the Moon, "Aleksey Leonov recalled.

The first stage of the flyby of the Earth satellite was to be carried out by launching the L-1 lunar module by the Proton carrier rocket, and the second stage - landing and returning back - on the giant and most powerful N-1 rocket equipped with thirty engines with a total thrust of 4.5 thousands of tons while the weight of the rocket itself is about 2 thousand tons. However, even after four test launches, this super-heavy rocket did not fly normally, so it eventually had to be abandoned.

Korolev and Glushko: the antipathy of two geniuses

"There were other options, for example, using a 600-ton engine developed by the brilliant designer Valentin Glushko, but Sergei Korolyov rejected it, since he worked on highly toxic heptyl. Although, in my opinion, this was not the reason - just two leaders , Korolev and Glushko - could not and did not want to work together.Their relations had their own problems of a purely personal nature: Sergei Korolev, for example, knew that Valentin Glushko had once written a denunciation on him, as a result of which he was sentenced to ten years When he was released, Korolev found out about this, but Glushko did not know that he knew about it, "said Alexei Leonov.

A small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind

NASA's Apollo 11 spacecraft on July 20, 1969 with a crew of three astronauts: Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Aldrin and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins - became the first to reach the Moon in the USSR and USA space race. The Americans did not pursue research tasks on this expedition, its purpose was simple: to land on an Earth satellite and return successfully.

The ship consisted of a lunar module and a command module, which remained in orbit during the mission. Thus, of the three astronauts, only two visited the moon: Armstrong and Aldrin. They had to land on the moon, collect samples of lunar soil, take pictures on a satellite of the Earth and install several instruments. However, the main ideological component of the trip was still hoisting the American flag on the moon and conducting a video communication session with the Earth.

The launch of the spacecraft was watched by US President Richard Nixon and German rocket scientist Hermann Obert. A total of about a million people watched the launch at the cosmodrome and the mounted observation platforms, and the TV broadcast, according to the Americans, was watched by more than a billion people all over the world.

Apollo 11 launched to the moon on July 16, 1969 at 13.32 GMT and entered lunar orbit 76 hours later. The command and lunar modules were undocked approximately 100 hours after launch. Despite the fact that NASA intended to land on the lunar surface in an automatic mode, Armstrong, as the leader of the expedition, decided to land the lunar module in a semi-automatic mode.

The lunar module landed in the Sea of ​​Tranquility on July 20 at 20 hours 17 minutes 42 seconds GMT. Armstrong descended to the lunar surface on July 21, 1969 at 02 hours 56 minutes 20 seconds GMT. Everyone knows the phrase he uttered when he set foot on the moon: "This is one small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind."

Aldrin also went to the moon 15 minutes later. The astronauts collected the required amount of materials, placed instruments and installed a television camera. After that, they planted the American flag in the field of view of the camera and held a communication session with President Nixon. Astronauts left a commemorative plaque on the moon with the words: "Here people from planet Earth first set foot on the moon. July 1969 new era... We have come in peace on behalf of all Humanity. "

Aldrin stayed on the moon for about an hour and a half, Armstrong - two hours and ten minutes. At the 125th hour of the mission and the 22nd hour of stay on the Moon, the lunar module was launched from the surface of the Earth satellite. The crew splashed down on the blue planet about 195 hours after the start of the mission, and soon the astronauts were picked up by the arriving aircraft carrier.

The moon is not a bad place. Definitely deserves a short visit.
Neil Armstrong

Almost half a century has passed since the Apollo flights, but the debate about whether the Americans were on the Moon does not subside, but becomes more and more fierce. The piquancy of the situation is that the supporters of the theory of the "lunar conspiracy" are trying to challenge not real historical events, but their own, vague and error-ridden idea of ​​them.

Moon epic

Facts first. On May 25, 1961, six weeks after Yuri Gagarin's triumphant flight, President John F. Kennedy made a speech before the Senate and House of Representatives, in which he promised that the American would land on the moon by the end of the decade. Having suffered defeat at the first stage of the space "race", the United States set out not only to catch up, but also to overtake Soviet Union.

The main reason for the lag at that time was that the Americans underestimated the importance of heavy ballistic missiles. Like their Soviet colleagues, American specialists studied the experience of German engineers who built A-4 (V-2) missiles during the war, but did not give these projects serious development, believing that in a global war there would be enough long-range bombers. Of course, the team of Wernher von Braun, taken out of Germany, continued to create ballistic missiles in the interests of the army, but they were unsuitable for space flights. When the Redstone rocket, the successor to the German A-4, was modified to launch the first American ship, the Mercury, it was only able to lift it to suborbital altitude.

Nevertheless, resources were found in the United States, so American designers quickly created the necessary "line" of carriers: from "Titan-2", which launched a two-seater maneuvering ship "Gemini" into orbit, to "Saturn-5", capable of sending a three-man ship "Apollo" "To the moon.

Redstone
Saturn-1B
Saturn-5
Titan-2

Of course, a colossal amount of work was required before the expeditions were dispatched. Spacecraft of the Lunar Orbiter series carried out a detailed mapping of the nearest celestial body - with their help it was possible to outline and study suitable landing sites. The Surveyors made soft lunar landings and provided excellent images of the surrounding area.

Lunar Orbiter spacecraft have carefully mapped the Moon, identifying future astronaut landings

The Surveyor spacecraft studied the Moon directly on its surface; the parts of the Surveyor-3 apparatus were taken and delivered to Earth by the Apollo-12 crew

In parallel, the Gemini program developed. After unmanned launches on March 23, 1965, the Gemini 3 spacecraft was launched, which maneuvered by changing the speed and inclination of the orbit, which was an unprecedented achievement at that time. Soon, Gemini 4 flew, in which Edward White performed the first spacewalk for the Americans. The spacecraft worked in orbit for four days, testing orientation systems for the Apollo program. The Gemini 5, launched on August 21, 1965, tested electrochemical generators and a docking radar. In addition, the crew set a record for the duration of stay in space - almost eight days (Soviet cosmonauts managed to beat it only in June 1970). By the way, during the Gemini 5 flight, the Americans first encountered negative consequences weightlessness - weakening of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, measures were developed to prevent such effects: special diet, drug therapy and a series of physical exercises.

In December 1965, the ships Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 approached each other to simulate docking. Moreover, the crew of the second ship spent more than thirteen days in orbit (that is, the total time of the lunar expedition), proving that the measures taken to maintain physical fitness are quite effective during such a long flight. On the ships Gemini-8, Gemini-9 and Gemini-10, they practiced the docking procedure (by the way, Neil Armstrong was the commander of Gemini-8). On Gemini 11 in September 1966, they tested the possibility of an emergency launch from the Moon, as well as a flight through the Earth's radiation belts (the ship climbed to a record altitude of 1369 km). On Gemini 12, the astronauts tried out a series of manipulations in outer space.

During the flight of the Gemini 12 spacecraft, astronaut Buzz Aldrin proved the possibility of complex manipulations in outer space

At the same time, the designers were preparing for testing the "intermediate" two-stage rocket "Saturn-1". During its first launch on October 27, 1961, it surpassed the Vostok rocket in thrust, on which the Soviet cosmonauts flew. It was assumed that the same rocket would launch the first Apollo-1 spacecraft into space, but on January 27, 1967, a fire broke out at the launch site, in which the ship's crew died, and many plans had to be revised.

In November 1967, tests began on the huge three-stage Saturn-5 rocket. During the first flight, it lifted into orbit the Apollo-4 command and service module with a lunar module model. In January 1968, the Apollo 5 lunar module was tested in orbit, and the unmanned Apollo 6 went there in April. The last launch due to the failure of the second stage almost ended in disaster, but the rocket pulled out the ship, demonstrating good "survivability".

On October 11, 1968, the Saturn-1B rocket launched the Apollo-7 command and service module with a crew into orbit. For ten days, the astronauts tested the ship, conducting complex maneuvers. Apollo was theoretically ready for the expedition, but the lunar module was still raw. And then a mission was invented, which was not originally planned at all - a flight around the moon.

The flight of the Apollo 8 spacecraft was not planned by NASA: it became an improvisation, but it was carried out brilliantly, securing another historical priority for the American astronautics

On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft without a lunar module, but with a crew of three astronauts, set off for a neighboring celestial body. The flight went relatively smoothly, but before the historic landing on the Moon, two more launches were needed: the Apollo 9 crew worked out the procedure for docking and undocking the spacecraft modules in near-earth orbit, then the Apollo 10 crew did the same, but already close to the Moon ... On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface, thereby proclaiming US leadership in space exploration.

The Apollo 10 crew performed dress rehearsal", Having completed all the operations necessary for landing on the Moon, but without the landing itself

Lunar module of the ship "Apollo-11", named "Eagle" ("Eagle") leaves for landing

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's moonwalk was broadcast via the radio telescope at Parkes Observatory in Australia; the originals of the recording of the historical event were also preserved and recently discovered there

This was followed by new successful missions: Apollo 12, Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17. As a result, twelve astronauts visited the moon, conducted reconnaissance of the area, installed scientific equipment, collected soil samples, and tested the rovers. Only the crew of Apollo 13 was unlucky: on the way to the moon, a tank of liquid oxygen exploded, and NASA specialists had to work hard to return the astronauts to Earth.

Falsification theory

Devices for creating an artificial sodium comet were installed on the Luna-1 spacecraft

It would seem that the reality of expeditions to the moon should not have been in doubt. NASA regularly published press releases and bulletins, experts and astronauts gave numerous interviews, many countries and the world scientific community participated in the technical support, tens of thousands of people watched the takeoffs of huge rockets, and millions watched live TV broadcasts from space. Lunar soil was brought to Earth, which many selenologists were able to study. International scientific conferences were held to make sense of the data that came from instruments left on the moon.

But even in that eventful time, people appeared who questioned the facts of the landing of astronauts on the moon. A skeptical attitude towards space achievements manifested itself back in 1959, and the likely reason for this was the secrecy policy pursued by the Soviet Union: for decades it even hid the location of its cosmodrome!

Therefore, when Soviet scientists announced that they had launched the Luna-1 research apparatus, some Western experts spoke in the spirit that the communists were simply fooling the world community. The specialists foresaw the questions and placed a device for vaporizing sodium on Luna-1, with the help of which an artificial comet was created, equal in brightness to the sixth magnitude.

Conspiracy theorists even dispute the reality of Yuri Gagarin's flight

Claims arose later: for example, some Western journalists doubted the reality of Yuri Gagarin's flight, because the Soviet Union refused to provide any documentary evidence. There was no camera on board the Vostok ship; the external appearance of the ship itself and the launch vehicle remained classified.

But the US authorities have never expressed doubts about the reliability of what happened: even during the flight of the first satellites, the National Security Agency (NSA) deployed two observation stations in Alaska and Hawaii and installed radio equipment there capable of intercepting telemetry, which came from Soviet devices. During Gagarin's flight, the stations were able to receive a TV signal with an image of an astronaut transmitted by an onboard camera. Within an hour, the printouts of individual footage from this broadcast were in the hands of government officials, and President John F. Kennedy congratulated the Soviet people on their outstanding achievement.

Soviet military specialists working at the Scientific Measuring Station No. 10 (NIP-10), located in the Shkolnoye village near Simferopol, intercepted data coming from the Apollo spacecraft throughout the entire flight to the Moon and back.

Soviet intelligence did the same. At the station NIP-10, located in the village of Shkolnoe (Simferopol, Crimea), a set of equipment was assembled that allows intercepting all information from the Apollo, including live TV broadcasts from the Moon. The head of the interception project, Aleksey Mikhailovich Gorin, gave the author of this article an exclusive interview, in which, in particular, he said: “A standard azimuth and elevation drive system was used to aim and control a very narrow beam. Based on the information about the location (Cape Canaveral) and the launch time, the flight trajectory of the spacecraft was calculated in all areas.

It should be noted that during about three days of flight, only sometimes there was a deviation of the beam pointing from the calculated trajectory, which was easily corrected manually. We started with Apollo 10, which made a test flight around the moon without landing. This was followed by flights with the landing of the "Apollo" from the 11th to the 15th ... They took rather clear images of the spacecraft on the Moon, the exit of both astronauts from it and travel on the surface of the Moon. Video from the Moon, speech and telemetry were recorded on appropriate tape recorders and transmitted to Moscow for processing and translation. "

In addition to intercepting data, Soviet intelligence also collected any information on the Saturn-Apollo program, since it could be used for the USSR's own lunar plans. For example, the scouts followed the missile launches from the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, when preparations began for the joint flight of the Soyuz-19 and Apollo CSM-111 spacecraft (ASTP mission), which took place in July 1975, Soviet specialists were admitted to the official information on the ship and the rocket. And, as you know, they did not express any claims to the American side.

The Americans themselves had complaints. In 1970, that is, even before the end of the lunar program, a brochure was published by a certain James Kraeney "Did a man land on the moon?" (Did man land on the Moon?). The public ignored the brochure, although it, perhaps, was the first to formulate the main thesis of the "conspiracy theory": an expedition to the nearest celestial body is technically impossible.

Technical writer Bill Kaysing can rightfully be called the founder of the theory of the "lunar conspiracy"

The topic began to gain popularity somewhat later, after the release of Bill Kaysing's self-published book We Never Went to the Moon (1976), which lays out the now "traditional" arguments for conspiracy theory. For example, the author seriously argued that all deaths of participants in the Saturn-Apollo program are associated with the elimination of unwanted bystanders. I must say that Kaysing is the only one of the authors of books on this topic who was directly related to the space program: from 1956 to 1963 he worked as a technical writer at the Rocketdyne company, which was engaged in the design of the super-powerful F-1 engine for the rocket. Saturn-5 ".

However, after the dismissal "by on their own Kaysing was a beggar, grabbed hold of any job, and probably had no warm feelings for his former employers. In the book, which was reprinted in 1981 and 2002, he argued that the Saturn 5 rocket was a "technical fake" and could never send astronauts on an interplanetary flight, so in reality the Apollo flew around the Earth, and the TV broadcast was carried out using unmanned vehicles.

Ralph René made a name for himself by accusing the US government of rigging flights to the moon and organizing the September 11, 2001 attacks

Bill Kaysing's creation was also ignored at first. Fame was brought to him by the American conspiracy theorist Ralph Rene, who posed as a scientist, physicist, inventor, engineer and scientific journalist, but in reality did not graduate from any higher educational institution. Like his predecessors, Rene published the book "How NASA showed America the Moon" (NASA Mooned America !, 1992) at his own expense, but at the same time he could already refer to other people's "research", that is, he looked not like a lonely psycho, but like a skeptic in search for truth.

Probably, the book, the lion's share of which is devoted to the analysis of certain photographs taken by astronauts, would also have remained unnoticed if the era of television shows had not come, when it became fashionable to invite all kinds of freaks and outcasts to the studio. Ralph Renee managed to get the most out of the sudden interest of the public, since he had a well-hung tongue and did not hesitate to make absurd accusations (for example, he claimed that NASA had deliberately damaged his computer and destroyed important files). His book was reprinted many times, and each time increasing in volume.

Among the documentaries devoted to the theory of the "lunar conspiracy", there are outright hoaxes: for example, the pseudo-documentary French film "The Dark Side of the Moon" (Opération lune, 2002)

The topic itself also begged for a film adaptation, and soon there were films with a claim to documentary: "Was it just a paper moon?" (Was It Only a Paper Moon ?, 1997), "What Happened on the Moon?" (What Happened on the Moon ?, 2000), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon (2001), Astronauts Gone Wild: Investigation Into the Authenticity of the Moon Landings, 2004) and the like. By the way, the author of the last two films, filmmaker Bart Seabrell, twice harassed Buzz Aldrin with aggressive demands to confess to a deception and was eventually hit in the face by an elderly astronaut. A video footage of this incident can be found on YouTube. The police, by the way, refused to open a case against Aldrin. Apparently, she considered that the video was faked.

In the 1970s, NASA tried to collaborate with the authors of the lunar conspiracy theory and even issued a press release, which parsed the claims of Bill Kaysing. However, it soon became clear that they did not want a dialogue, but they were happy to use any mention of their fabrications for self-promotion: for example, Kaysing was suing astronaut Jim Lovell in 1996 for calling him a "fool" in one of his interviews.

However, how else to name the people who believed in the authenticity of the film "The Dark Side of the Moon" (Opération lune, 2002), where the famous director Stanley Kubrick was directly accused of filming all the astronauts on the moon in the Hollywood pavilion? Even in the film itself, there are indications that it is a fictional fiction in the mocumentari genre, but this did not prevent the conspiracy theorists from accepting the version with a bang and quoting it even after the creators of the hoax openly confessed to hooliganism. By the way, recently there was another "proof" of the same degree of reliability: this time an interview with a man similar to Stanley Kubrick surfaced, where he allegedly took responsibility for falsifying the materials of the lunar missions. The new fake was exposed quickly - it was made too clumsy.

Concealment operation

In 2007, science journalist and popularizer Richard Hoagland co-authored the book Dark Mission. The Secret History of NASA ”(Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA), which immediately became a bestseller. In this weighty volume, Hoagland summarized his research on the "cover-up operation" - it is allegedly carried out by US government agencies, concealing from the world community the fact of contact with a more advanced civilization that mastered the solar system long before humanity.

Within the framework of the new theory, the "lunar conspiracy" is viewed as a product of the activities of NASA itself, which deliberately provokes an illiterate discussion of the falsification of landings on the moon in order for qualified researchers to disdain to deal with this topic for fear of being branded as "marginalized." Hoagland deftly tailored all modern conspiracy theories to fit his theory, from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to flying saucers and the Martian Sphinx. The journalist was even awarded the Shnobel Prize, which he received in October 1997, for his vigorous activity in exposing the "cover-up operation".

Believers and unbelievers

The supporters of the theory of the "lunar conspiracy", or, more simply, the "anti-Apollo", are very fond of accusing their opponents of illiteracy, ignorance, or even blind faith. A strange move, given that it is the "anti-Apollo people" who believe in a theory that is not supported by any significant evidence. In science and law, there are Golden Rule: An extraordinary statement requires extraordinary evidence. An attempt to accuse space agencies and the world scientific community of falsifying materials that are of great importance to our understanding of the Universe must be accompanied by something more significant than a couple of self-published books published by an offended writer and a narcissistic pseudo-scientist.

All hours of film footage of the Apollo lunar expeditions have long been digitized and are available for study

If we imagine for a minute that a secret parallel space program existed in the United States using unmanned vehicles, then we need to explain where all the participants in this program have gone: the designers of the “parallel” technology, its testers and operators, as well as filmmakers who prepared kilometers of films of lunar missions. We are talking about thousands (or even tens of thousands) of people who needed to be involved in the "lunar conspiracy." Where are they and where are their confessions? Let's say they all, including foreigners, swore to remain silent. But piles of documents, contracts-orders with contractors, corresponding structures and landfills should remain. However, apart from nagging some public NASA materials, which are indeed often retouched or presented in a deliberately simplified interpretation, there is nothing. Nothing at all.

However, the "anti-Apollo people" never think about such "trifles" and persistently (often in an aggressive form) demand more and more evidence from the opposite side. The paradox is that if they, asking "tricky" questions, themselves tried to find answers to them, it would not be difficult. Let's consider the most typical claims.

During the preparation and implementation of the joint flight of the Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft, Soviet specialists were admitted to the official information of the American space program

For example, anti-Apollo people ask: why was the Saturn-Apollo program interrupted, and its technologies were lost and cannot be used today? The answer is obvious to anyone with even a general idea of ​​what happened in the early 1970s. It was then that one of the most powerful political and economic crises in the history of the United States happened: the dollar lost its gold content and was devalued twice; the protracted war in Vietnam drained resources; the youth were engulfed in the anti-war movement; Richard Nixon is on the verge of impeachment in connection with the Watergate scandal.

At the same time, the total costs of the Saturn-Apollo program amounted to $ 24 billion (in terms of current prices, we can talk about $ 100 billion), and each new launch cost $ 300 million (1.3 billion in modern prices) - it is clear that further funding became exorbitant for the meager American budget. The Soviet Union experienced something similar in the late 1980s, which led to the inglorious closure of the Energia-Buran program, the technologies of which are also largely lost.

In 2013, an expedition led by Jeff Bezos, founder of the Internet company Amazon, lifted from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean fragments of one of the F-1 engines of the Saturn 5 rocket that delivered Apollo 11 into orbit

Nevertheless, despite the problems, the Americans tried to squeeze a little more out of the lunar program: the Saturn-5 rocket launched the Skylab heavy orbital station (it was visited by three expeditions in 1973-1974), a joint Soviet-American flight took place. Soyuz-Apollo "(ASTP). In addition, the Space Shuttle program, which replaced the Apollo, used the launch facilities of the Saturns, and some of the technological solutions obtained during their operation are used today in the design of the promising American SLS launch vehicle.

Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility Moonstone Work Crate

Another popular question: where did the lunar soil, brought by astronauts, go? Why isn't it being studied? Answer: it has not gone anywhere, but is stored where it was planned - in the two-story building of the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility, which was built in Houston (Texas). Applications for the study of the soil should also be applied there, but only organizations that have the necessary equipment can receive them. Each year, a special commission reviews applications and satisfies from forty to fifty of them; on average, up to 400 samples are sent. In addition, 98 samples with a total weight of 12.46 kg are exhibited in museums around the world, and dozens of scientific publications were published on each of them.

Pictures of the landing sites of the ships Apollo 11, Apollo 12 and Apollo 17, taken by the main optical camera of the LRO: the lunar modules, scientific equipment and the "paths" left by the astronauts are clearly visible

Another question in the same vein: why is there no independent evidence of a visit to the moon? Answer: they are. If we ignore the Soviet evidence, which is still far from completeness, and the excellent space photographs of the lunar landing sites, which were made by the American LRO spacecraft and which the “anti-Apollo people” also consider “fake”, then the materials provided by the Indians (Chandrayaan-1 ), the Japanese (the Kaguya apparatus) and the Chinese (the Chang'e-2 apparatus): all three agencies have officially confirmed that they have found the tracks left by the Apollo ships.

"Lunar Deception" in Russia

By the end of the 1990s, the theory of the "lunar conspiracy" came to Russia, where it gained ardent supporters. Its wide popularity, obviously, is facilitated by the sad fact that very few historical books on the American space program are published in Russian, so an inexperienced reader may get the impression that there is nothing to study there.

The most ardent and talkative adherent of the theory was Yuri Mukhin, a former engineer-inventor and publicist with radical pro-Stalinist convictions, noticed in historical revisionism. In particular, he published the book "The Corrupt Girl Genetics", in which he refutes the achievements of genetics in order to prove that the repressions against the domestic representatives of this science were justified. Mukhin's style repels with deliberate rudeness, and he builds his conclusions on the basis of rather primitive distortions.

The cameraman Yuri Elkhov, who participated in the filming of such famous children's films as "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1975) and "About Little Red Riding Hood" (1977), undertook to analyze the footage made by astronauts, and came to the conclusion that they were fabricated. True, for testing, he used his own studio and equipment, which has nothing to do with NASA equipment of the late 1960s. As a result of the "investigation" Elkhov wrote the book "Fake Moon", which never came out on paper due to lack of funds.

Perhaps the most competent of the Russian "anti-Apollo men" remains Alexander Popov, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, a specialist in lasers. In 2009, he published the book "Americans on the Moon - a great breakthrough or a space scam?" For many years he has been running a special website dedicated to the topic, and now he has agreed that not only the flights of the Apollo, but also the ships Mercury and Gemini are falsified. Thus, Popov claims that the Americans made their first flight into orbit only in April 1981 - on the Columbia shuttle. Apparently, the respected physicist does not understand that without great previous experience it is simply impossible to launch such a complex reusable aerospace system like the Space Shuttle the first time.

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The list of questions and answers can be continued indefinitely, but there is no point in this: the views of the "anti-Apollonites" are not based on real facts that can be interpreted in one way or another, but on illiterate ideas about them. Unfortunately, ignorance persists, and not even Buzz Aldrin's hook can make a difference. It remains to rely on time and new flights to the Moon, which will inevitably put everything in its place.

We will tell you about who and how many times made a trip to the moon, what it is like there and whether there are prospects for such "flights". And about whether these flights were at all ...

The Moon plays a very important role in the existence of our planet, the Sun, of course, cannot be eclipsed by it, but without the Moon it is not a fact that our Earth would be alive at all.

A few words about the moon.

Despite the controversy about what the Moon is - a satellite of the Earth or an independent planet, it is now believed that it is a satellite of the Earth.

“The moon is a natural satellite of the Earth. The closest satellite of the planet to the Sun, since the planets closest to the Sun, Mercury and Venus, do not have satellites. The second brightest object in the earth's sky after the Sun and the fifth largest natural satellite of the planet in the solar system. The average distance between the centers of the Earth and the Moon is 384 467 km (0.002 57 AU, ~ 30 Earth diameters).

The Moon is the only astronomical object outside the Earth, which has been visited by man. "

One of the most common versions of the appearance of the moon - it is the debris of the celestial body Teia and the earth's mantle that collided with the Earth. “As a result, most of the material of the impacted object and part of the material of the earth's mantle were thrown into near-earth orbit. The proto-Moon gathered from these debris and began to orbit with a radius of about 60,000 km (now ~ 384,000 km). As a result of the impact, the Earth received a sharp increase in the rotation speed (one revolution in 5 hours) and a noticeable tilt of the rotation axis. "

The moon is full of craters. The main hypotheses of their origin are volcanic and meteorite. Craters are named after great scientists and celebrities.

They began to study the moon even before our era, for example, Hipparchus investigated its movement. Closer to the 20th century, earthlings approached the issue of mastering the mysterious satellite of the Earth more thoroughly, but it was still a long way from flying into space. In 1902, the first sci-fi film in the history of cinema, "A Journey to the Moon", was released in France (it can be viewed at the link at the bottom of the article, duration 12 minutes). People, then still at a naive level, predicted a flight to the moon, fantasized about how it could be.

The Russians were the first to explore the open spaces of the Moon with their own eyes. In 1959, the Luna stations went to the moon (1-2-3).

"On September 14, 1959, at 00:02:24, the Luna-2 station reached the lunar surface for the first time in the world in the region of the Sea of ​​Rains near the craters Aristille, Archimedes and Autolycus."

In the same year 59, the Luna-3 station "obtained" the first photo of the far side of the Moon, flying over the surface invisible from the Earth.

Luna 24 in 1976 brought soil from the lunar surface to Earth for important research.

List of US astronauts who have visited the Moon (12 people in total)

Charles ("Pete") Conrad, Alan Bean - 1969 (Apollo 12)

Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell - 1971 (Apollo 14)

David Scott, James Irwin 1971 (Apollo 15)

John Young, Charles Duke - 1972 (Apollo 16)

Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt - 1972 (Apollo 17)

Apollo 11

So, in 1969, the American astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong managed to set foot on the moon, albeit in a spacesuit. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong accomplished what mankind had been preparing for for centuries, for millennia, saying: "This is one small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind."

After 20 minutes, when Armstrong was already peacefully walking along the craters of the moon, Buzz Aldrin (an American aeronautical engineer, retired US Air Force colonel and NASA astronaut) joined the first person to disturb the peace of the moon. This is the second person to visit the moon.

The two astronauts were part of the Apollo 11 crew.

"Apollo 11" (English Apollo 11) - a manned spacecraft of the Apollo series, during the flight of which on July 16-24, 1969, the inhabitants of the Earth for the first time in history landed on the surface of another celestial body - the Moon.

Then the exit to the surface of the moon Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin lasted as much as 2 hours 31 minutes 40 seconds.

“On July 20, 1969, at 20:17:39 UTC, Crew Commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Edwin Aldrin landed the spacecraft's lunar module in the southwest region of the Sea of ​​Tranquility. They remained on the lunar surface for 21 hours 36 minutes and 21 seconds. All this time, command module pilot Michael Collins was waiting for them in circumlunar orbit. Astronauts made one exit to the lunar surface, which lasted 2 hours 31 minutes 40 seconds. The first person to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong. This happened on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC. Aldrin joined him 15 minutes later.

The astronauts planted a US flag at the landing site, placed a set of scientific instruments and collected 21.55 kg of lunar soil samples, which were delivered to Earth. After the flight, the crew members and lunar rock samples went through strict quarantine, which did not reveal any lunar microorganisms.

The successful completion of the Apollo 11 flight program signified the achievement of the national goal set by US President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 - to land on the moon by the end of the decade, and marked the victory of the United States in the lunar race with the USSR. "

A lot of materials are devoted to the first steps of people on the Moon: “It happened at 109 hours 24 minutes 20 seconds of flight time, or at 02 hours 56 minutes 15 seconds UTC on July 21, 1969. Still holding on to the ladder with his hand, Armstrong put his right foot on the ground, after which he reported on his first impressions. According to him, the small particles of soil were like powder, which can be easily thrown up with a toe. They adhered in thin layers to the soles and sides of the moon boots like pulverized charcoal.

The legs sank into it quite a bit, no more than 0.3 cm. But Armstrong could see his footprints on the surface. The astronaut said that moving on the moon is not difficult at all, in fact it is even easier than during imitations of 1/6 of the Earth's gravity. "

In the photo, the Apollo 11 astronauts during the landing on the moon

Apollo 12

The Apollo 12 spacecraft, which launched on November 14, 1969 and landed on the Moon, the second face-to-face human encounter with the lunar surface, returned to Earth on November 24, 1969. Charles ("Pete") Conrad and Alan Bean are the astronauts who were the second to visit the moon with their own eyes.

In the photo, the Apollo 12 astronauts during the landing on the moon

Apollo 14

The launch of the spacecraft, whose mission was the third visit to the moon, was made on January 31, 1971. Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell were the third to visit the moon. The astronauts made two exits to the moon, during which they collected several dozen soil samples, a total of 23 kg of samples, brought "lunar" trees, seeds that were luggage on the moon and then planted in the forests of America.

In the photo, the Apollo 14 astronauts during the landing on the moon

Apollo 15

"Apollo 15" (English Apollo 15) - the ninth manned spacecraft in the framework of the "Apollo" program, the fourth landing of people on the moon. Crew commander David Scott and lunar module pilot James Irwin spent almost three days on the moon (just under 67 hours).

The total duration of the three exits to the lunar surface was 18 hours and 30 minutes. On the moon, the crew used a lunar vehicle for the first time, having driven it for a total of 27.9 km. 77 kilograms of lunar soil samples were collected and then delivered to Earth. After the flight, experts called the samples delivered by this expedition "the richest catch" of the entire program, and the Apollo 15 mission "one of the most brilliant from the scientific point of view."

In the photo, the Apollo 15 astronauts during the landing on the moon

Apollo 16

The tenth manned flight under the Apollo program, for the fifth time brought people to the moon, the date is April 16-27, 1972, the flight lasted just over 10 days.

“The first landing in a mountainous area, on a plateau near the Descartes crater. It was the second J-mission after Apollo 15 with an emphasis on scientific research. The astronauts (like the crew of the previous expedition) had at their disposal a lunar vehicle, Lunar Rover No. 2. "

In the photo, the Apollo 16 astronauts during the landing on the moon

Apollo 17

It was the final flight of the Apollo program, the sixth and last landing of humans on the moon, the third scientific mission - December 7, 1972 - December 19, 1972.

The astronauts made three exits from the spacecraft with a total duration of 22 hours 3 minutes 57 seconds. 110.5 kg of lunar rock samples were collected and brought to Earth.

In the photo, the Apollo 17 astronauts during the landing on the moon

In a little more than three years, the Americans made 6 landings on the moon, while 12 people set foot on the lunar surface.

The last missions were especially productive in terms of science: soil samples were obtained, including those with a deep breakdown using drilling tools, astronauts "rode" around the moon with a special rover, made several exits in one flight, walked, left various objects as a keepsake, possibly for foreign nations.

However, flights to the moon ended abruptly in 1972, since then only artificial vehicles have touched the surface of the Earth's satellite. Why now there are no attempts to fly to the moon is not clear, because astronautics has reached much high heights than in the 1970s.

Retreat. The expression mentioned earlier in the quotations - "moon race" - is an extremely important action that can be transferred to the philosophical and political level.

Do you think the Earth is just a planet, with some areas of houses, forests, where people scurry about, wanting to win a bigger piece for themselves? And the Moon is an abstract mysterious halo that illuminates our Earth at night and about flights, which you can dream of when you want something unrealizable? Everything in this world (and not only in this, and not only in this Universe - it is possible), that the Earth, that the Moon are objects of self-affirmation of states, and this is above all.

So many people were permeated with base instincts - lust for power, greed, vanity, etc. That is why in the race, who will fly first to the moon, who will get more oil on Earth, who will build the coolest skyscraper - everyone is furiously participating, in reality only a couple of states. In the lunar race, two states fought, two special states - the USA and the USSR.

There is another side of this race - nothing comes closer to progress than competition, conflict, desire for self-affirmation. And it is not known where we would have been with the exploration of the moon, if not for the offended pride of states. But progress in this case goes over the heads ... the corpses ... and gives an example to all mankind how to achieve their goals.

What did we get with going into space? Scientists will note many scientific achievements obtained thanks to man's flight into space and to the moon, achievements that are insanely necessary for the development of both heavenly and earthly spaces. But I think there is one very important achievement, besides the material one - we are less afraid of the unknown. After all, people have lived for centuries in oblivion about the fact that there is Space and this round plate, illuminating the night. People know not only the number of planets in our Galaxy, but a photo was taken celestial bodies, soil samples were taken, artificial satellites fly around the Earth, etc. The world has advanced, but it was more important for the states not to reduce fear of the size and filling of the Universe, but who was the first to put the flag on the moon.

By the way, there is an opinion that the landing of people during the Apollo expeditions is a falsification.

The "Moon Plot" is a conspiracy theory, the central idea of ​​which is the assertion that during the "lunar race" during the American space program "Apollo" (1969-1972) no people were landed on the moon, expeditions were rigged by the US government.

If there were no flights to the moon (in the links under the article videos with documentaries about how we could have been deceived, subtleties, details, technology), then why did America need all this? The matter is understandable - America wanted to be ahead by any means ... And then so many material resources were put on the Apollo program that it was a shame to let the whole world down and not fly to the moon. The whole masquerade was carefully thought out, played well, all those involved signed nondisclosure documents ...

If, indeed, the Americans were not on the moon, then everything is ahead, and there are a lot of prospects.

Then the 1902 movie "Voyage to the Moon" is right: a trip to the moon is a big fantasy for the world. We fantasized a hundred years ago, and today ... It's just that the Americans played a little more believable than the French.

We are still accustomed to thinking that there was a man on the moon. In fact, nothing will change much for most of us if we find out the truth that whether a person has set foot on the moon or not. Therefore, you can believe in any truth.

What do you think, was there a man on the moon or still not?