At a birthday party the other day I was introduced to one Mr Moon D`Souza. “Moon?!” I responded instinctively as my eyebrows shot up. Except for Moon Moon Sen, the voluptuous Bollywood heroin of yesteryears, I had never heard of nor met a Moon before! I quickly made up by complimenting the gentleman on his unique name that exuded so much positivity and a jolly good Mr Moon, in full Party mood, was only too glad to explain the significance behind it: it seems his parents were married on the day the Americans landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. Seven hours later when astronauts Armstrong and Buzz Adrian climbed down the Lunar Module to explore the moon surface, the moon struck honeymooning D’Souza couple had already connived to name their first born after the much romanticised heavenly body! The rest is a story that Mr Moon loves narrating to whoever is willing to listen. “But did the Americans really land on the moon?” someone wondered aloud, just as Moon had finished, sending peals of laughter across the room.
Forty-eight years after US Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, conspiracy theorists still insist that the Apollo moon landings were an elaborate hoax. The theory that the moon landings were faked by the US government to assert their victory in the space race is gaining in popularity. To this day many people claim that what was shown on TV channels was actually shot on a Hollywood style film set at a secret military base and the signal routed to make it appear to come from the moon.
Twelve people are supposed to have walked on the moon during the Apollo programme which cost the US government a whopping 25 billion dollars. Strangely, the original video footage of the 1969 landing has mysteriously gone missing. In 2009, NASA said that it “erased” the original videos of the moon landings along with 200,000 other tapes to save money. Imagine spending 25 billion dollars to land on the moon in 1969 and not having enough money to maintain the historically and scientifically important tapes in 2009!
Russia has called for a formal investigation to end the controversy on moon landings. Without going as far as suggesting that the moon landings were fake, Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Government`s official investigative committee argues that such a investigation could reveal new insights into the historical space journeys. Markin said the committee would support an inquiry to find out what actually happened to the original footage of the 1969 landing and the lunar soil and rocks brought back to earth.
Interestingly, a poll indicated that 37% Americans in the age group of 18-24 years have expressed doubts about the moon landings. Such a large number cannot be dismissed just like that although it looks extremely unlikely that the US managed to take the entire world including the former USSR for such a big ride and for so long. If the conspiracy theory proves true, it will indeed be the greatest hoax ever perpetuated on Mankind! While the world by and large does believe in the moon landings, I for one could be excused for being skeptical as I belong to the Parish of St. Thomas in Cansaulim.
