| -Caveat Lector-
Blowing Up the
Moon’s Conspiracy Theory Saturday, March 15, 2003
By Patricia Ward Biederman Los
Angeles Times
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — Phil Plait, 38-year-old astronomer and skeptic, was on the California State University, Northridge, campus Friday, punching holes in the tenacious myth that American astronauts never landed on the moon. Given the crowd, Plait didn’t have much persuading to do. His talk was sponsored by the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the room was full of people who know one end of a telescope from the other. But many Americans cling to the view that the landings were staged — 6 percent of those surveyed in a 1999 Gallup poll had their doubts, uncertainty fed by a steady stream of television shows, books and videotapes that claim that NASA was part of a vast government conspiracy. But when Plait asked his 75 listeners if any believed the moon landings were a hoax, only one young man raised his hand. Wearing sneakers and a blue NASA cap, the astronomer ticked off the arguments presented in a 2001 Fox TV show “Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?” seen by more than 6 million viewers. He systematically refuted each claim. On the staff at Sonoma State University in northern California, Plait is part of a program that develops educational activities based on NASA science and technology. He debunks on his own time, as part of an informal community of scientists who thinks its important to counter the pseudoscientific notions that seem to flourish in the United States. Sometimes, he confessed, taking on the conspiracy theorists seems like a lot of effort that could be better spent, say, doing astronomy. Plait paraphrases the famous observation: “Never wrestle with a pig. You’ll just get dirty, and the pig enjoys it.” But, he said, he believes it’s important to give people “the tools they need to think critically about these arguments and realize they are wrong.” Look at the American flag supposedly being planted on the moon, the moon hoaxers say. If the astronauts were really on the moon, which has no atmosphere, why is the flag waving? Plait explains that the astronauts caused the flag to move as they drilled the flagpole into the surface of the moon; inertia creates the apparent waving motion. In the audience, CSUN Astronomy Professor Stephen Walton said: “I think it’s important for scientists to take a more active role in explaining to the public why this stuff is bad science. ... There may be two sides to every issue, but that doesn’t mean they’re equal.” CSUN Sociology Professor Harvey Rich agreed. Science education in this country is woeful, he said, and students often lack the training to think critically. Popular culture frequently gives a boost to pseudoscience, he said: “Movies like ‘Signs’ garner millions of viewers, and people think this stuff is real because they can’t make the distinction between documentary and docudrama.” Twenty-year-old CSUN student Joseph Farar was the one person who confessed to believing that the moon landing was a hoax. Afterward, he explained that he had a friend who knew somebody who claimed to work for the movie studio that was hired by NASA to fake the landing. The conspiracy theorists point to the lack of stars in the photos as evidence that the event was staged. The studio employee in Farar’s friend’s story said the movie-makers forgot to put in the stars. Farar said Plait hadn’t changed his mind, but he said he was going to look deeper into the evidence. And he said he thought there were others in the audience who believed it was a hoax but didn’t want to admit it. Plait said he meets bright students who have seen the Fox show or the like and are uncertain. “You don’t have to be an idiot to believe this,” he said. “It may not even help.” Plait knows he can’t persuade hard-core believers in the conspiracy: “It’s like trying to dig a hole in water. It’s never going to happen.” Instead of getting angry about the persistence of the myth, he said he tries to approach debunking it light-heartedly. And he doesn’t reflexively blame overburdened teachers for the problem. “We’re not teaching science well enough in the schools, that’s certainly true,” he said. “But I think it’s a societal problem, not a school problem. Critical thinking has to start at home.” <A HREF="">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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