NASA was urged to provide compelling evidence once and for all that the moon landings were real and not a hoax, writes
The 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first steps on the lunar surface took place last month, but many conspiracy theorists around the world remain convinced that this is the biggest cover-up of all time.
Lunar hoax theorists say that desperate President John F. Kennedy, who wanted to beat the Russians in the space race to the moon, ordered a series of films to be made in top-secret studios to make it look like NASA astronauts descended on the lunar surface.
The theory is based on claims that overcoming the Van Allen radioactive belt around the Earth leads to death.
One of the best hoax conspiracy theorists is Marcus Allen, publisher of the alternative biomage news magazine Nexus, which sells in about 100 countries.
Attending the 27th annual Glastonbury Symposium, a conference on paranormal conspiracy theories, alternative thought and New Age philosophy, Mr. Allen said: “I don't believe that a man has landed on the moon. If NASA or anyone else is ready to prove it, then I am ready to hear what they will lead, however, I cannot prove the reality of the moon landing.
“50 years have passed, but the question remains: how did they do it?
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"If it was that easy in the 1960s, they could do it any day, and Russia, Japan, India, even North Korea."
Allen says NASA admits it is impossible to travel beyond the Van Allen Belt.
“NASA has recognized this. If you read NASA's technology information, they say "we have real problems," they just don't say they had a problem at the time."
NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars in the next 30 years, but Mr. Allen questions the proposal.
Meanwhile, he claims that the photos and videos shown to the world were pre-recorded in a secret studio against the backdrop of the moon's surface scenery.
The lighting anomalies are also said to indicate the footage is fake.
Mr. Allen's main argument is that the highly radioactive Van Allen belts will kill astronauts who have not been given any space radiation suits.
The radioactive environment around the Earth is due to the fact that charged particles fall into the Earth's magnetic field, which protects us from lethal radiation flying to the ground.
Allen says: “Now they are claiming they will send a mission to Mars. It's funny because anyone who tries to fly to Mars will be dead in three weeks."
Over the years, Mr. Allen has given many television interviews about the reasons for his beliefs.
He has often said that he watched the landing live on TV and would like to believe that it actually happened, but since there is no evidence to support this, he claims it was all a hoax.
He, like many other opponents of the lunar epic, claims that the rockets were launched, but in fact they did not go to the moon.
Conspiracy theorists argue that this is still not possible today.
Nonetheless, those skeptical about Mr. Allen's claims debunk his claims, including those about the Van Allen belt.
Science writer Amy Shira Teitel has researched this question.
On popsci.com, she wrote: “By February 1964, NASA was confident that the Apollo crews would pass through the belts fast enough for the spacecraft's skin and instrumentation to be effectively protected.
“To monitor radiation exposure during flights, the Apollo crews had dosimeters on board the spacecraft and on its passengers. And the dosimeter readings confirmed that NASA had made the right choice. At the end of the program, the agency determined that the astronauts had escaped the large radiation doses that many feared would accompany flights to the moon.
"During lunar missions, astronauts were exposed to doses less than the average five-year Atomic Energy Commission staff who regularly deal with radioactive materials."
NASA does not comment on specific claims about the lunar mission hoax, but has previously vehemently denied that any of the Apollo missions were fabricated and insists that the US made it to the moon.
