Why People Still Think the Moon Landing Was Faked

More than half a century after Apollo 11, the Moon landing remains one of the most extraordinary achievements in human history — and one of the most stubborn targets of conspiracy thinking. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface in July 1969, yet a small but persistent group still believes the whole event was staged. The Royal Museums Greenwich notes that Moon landing conspiracy theories have remained “worryingly persistent” since the first lunar steps.

What makes the theory survive is not strong evidence, but emotion, distrust, repeated myths, and misunderstanding of photography, physics, and Cold War history. The Guardian traces much of the modern hoax narrative back to Bill Kaysing, whose self-published claims helped popularize the idea that NASA faked the mission.