Team may return to moon to bust more lunar landing hoax theories

The Discovery Channel’s MythBusters team has scientifically proven everything from why a port-a-potty won’t explode if you flick your Bic inside it to why dropping a Mentos in a can of Diet Coke creates a geyser. Not exactly Earth-shattering myths to bust, but certainly entertaining.  

“But then it got to the point where the staff was saying that the number of people who currently did not believe humans landed on the moon were going through the roof. We thought, this is ridiculous. We have to put this to the test. It just seemed that the time was right.” 

The decision to do the show was made a full year before the episode aired. “That sounds really dramatic,” Tapster said. “Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t 12 months of solid research. But we finally committed to wanting to do the episode and then over the course of the year we looked at the entire number of conspiracies there were, worked out which ones we thought, a) were testable, and b) the most widely believed. And, I guess, c) the most convincing.

"We assessed each of the conspiracy theories based on those criteria and then came up with a list of each of those we wanted to do. Then there was a significant chunk of time allocated to trying to get the use of the facilities we needed to be able to put the myths to the test. Talking with the people at Zero G, for instance, was something that we started quite early, and also talking to NASA about getting access to their vacuum chambers, obviously, very expensive pieces of equipment.” 

Tapster said NASA was slightly nervous when first approached with the idea to test the lunar landing myths. “I think that sometimes goes with the territory of MythBusters,” he said. “Because of our name, some think that we might be slightly negative, we might come to a conclusion that people are uncomfortable with, but as we say to all our contributors, we will go about testing myths in the most logical, scientific methodology that we can given our time and resources, and based on that, we are highly likely to always come to the right answer. I’m sure a lot of fans would completely disagree with us, but I like to think that’s true.” 

Tapster’s NASA contact was Bert Ulrich in the Public Services Division. 

“After the slight concern at the beginning, I was sending him rough ideas of what we planned. I think as soon as he saw that on paper, they were very, very enthusiastic. They were very happy with the results.” 

NASA opened its vacuum chambers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.to the MythBusters Build Team of Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tori Belleci to test and bust two of the myths – that a flag can’t flap in a vacuum (it can) and that moon boots can’t leave an impression on a surface with zero water content (it can).  

Having NASA’s cooperation was essential to the success of the experiments, but Tapster said everyone recognized it also opened the show to criticism from the hoax believers, who would say if you work with NASA, originators of the whole conspiracy, that means  you’ve been drawn in, and now you’re working with the hoaxers. 

Same with the myths busted by MythBusters hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, both of whom used their movie special effects skills to debunk several of the myths. 

“So we were kind of damned if we did, damned if we didn’t, in some ways,” Tapster said.  “I’m all up for a good conspiracy. But there are elements to the moon landing conspiracy that actually verge on the offensive. When they’re talking about massive cover-ups and silencing critics and murder and all this stuff. That’s where conspiracy crosses the line. What’s interesting for the people whose minds we didn’t change, that shows they are not approaching this objectively. Our answers are plain to see. One of the principles of science is the principle of parsimony, Occam’s razor. The easiest solution – the solution with the least number of needs for further explanation – is usually the truest. Science is about the most parsimonious solution, and that is not what conspiracy theorists are presenting.” 

Tapster pointed out that MythBusters takes the scientifically objective approach to its experiments. “We don’t care if a myth is busted or confirmed. We’re testing it to get our results,” he said. 

But the lunar landing hoax theories were different, and Adam Savage in particular seemed especially stoked when another myth was busted. 

“In many ways it was an unusual episode for us,” Tapster said. “One of the things I’ve learned on MythBusters is that we get such surprising results, like bulls in china shops that didn’t knock over a single bit of crockery, elephants that appear to be scared of mice. We get all these incredible results so I’ve learned never to expect the obvious. This episode, we did go into the test, everyone separately on the team, with an idea of whether they believed the conspiracy or not. I think it’s fair to say that we were all non-believers. As a result, yes, I think there was a certain element of energetic rebuttal when we did bust.

"One of the things we’re trying to constantly do on MythBusters is challenge people not to accept what they have heard, particularly for young people. Challenge what they’ve read, challenge what they’ve heard, to become real thinking people. Sometimes when we are testing myths like that, the hosts do get slightly more passionate. I know that Adam certainly laments the scientific teaching that has been happening in the U.S. I kind of think that was what it was about, to try to get people to think and focus on subjects like this.” 

For those who enjoyed the Lunar Landing episode, Tapster said there is discussion of tackling another round of hoax theories. 

“We are considering doing a Moon Landing 2 because so many people said, you didn’t test this and this and this. So we are considering doing a second one. It’s tricky though because a lot of the myths are like, why didn’t the Eagle create a bigger dust cloud when it landed? Why didn’t it melt the regulith (lunar soil) when it took off? Those are tricky to tests. But if there is enough interest, then we might tackle it again.” 

Tapster also proposed a final MythBusters solution to the lunar landing hoax theories. “I said to NASA, the next time you go to the moon, put us on it.”

MythBusters Episode 104, NASA Moon Landing

Myth: One of the NASA photos is fake because the shadows of the rocks and lunar lander are not parallel.

Busted: Adam and Jamie built a small-scale replica of the lunar landing site based on the photograph, using reflective sand similar to that found on the Moon, and a single light to represent the Sun. Next, they took a photo which was exactly the same as the NASA photo, including the differing shadows. The MythBusters explained that the shadows were not parallel because of the way the light falls on the Moon’s natural topography.

Myth: One of the NASA photos is fake because Neil Armstrong can be clearly seen while in the shadow of the lunar lander.

Busted: To test this myth, the MythBusters built a large-scale replica of the landing site, allowing them to take a photo which was nearly identical to the original NASA photo. The MythBusters explained that Armstrong was visible because of ambient light being reflected off of the Moon’s surface.

Myth: A flag cannot flap in a vacuum.

Busted: The Build Team placed a replica of the American flag planted on the moon into a vacuum chamber at the Marshall Space Flight Center. They first tested at normal pressure and manipulated the flag. The momentum moved the flag around but the motion quickly dissipated. In vacuum conditions, manipulating the flag caused it to flap vigorously as if it were being blown by a breeze. This demonstrated that a flag could appear to wave in a vacuum, as the Apollo flag did.

Myth: A clear footprint cannot be made in vacuum because there is no moisture to hold its shape.

Busted: The Build Team first tested whether dry or wet sand made a more distinguishable footprint by stepping in them with an astronaut boot. It was clear that the wet footprint had more detail than the dry footprint. They then placed sand similar in composition to the Moon’s soil in a vacuum chamber and stepped on it with an astronaut boot, which made a clear print. The reason provided for this was that the unique composition of lunar soil allows it to behave differently than terrestrial soil.

Myth: The film of the astronauts moon walking is actually film of the astronauts skipping in front of a high-frame rate camera, slowing down the picture and giving the illusion they are on the Moon.

Busted: Adam donned a replica NASA spacesuit and mimicked the astronauts’ motions while being filmed by a slow motion camera. They also attached Adam to wires in order to mimic the Moon’s lower gravity. While comparing their new footage with the original footage, the MythBusters noted an initial similarity, but there were several small discrepancies attributable to filming in Earth’s gravity. In order to film in microgravity, the MythBusters boarded a Reduced Gravity Aircraft and filmed the exact same movements. Adam noted that the movements were more comfortable and more logical in microgravity, and their footage from the plane looked exactly like the original NASA film. The MythBusters concluded that the moon landing film is authentic.

Fact: The Apollo astronauts left behind special equipment on the Moon like reflectors that scientists can bounce lasers off of.

Confirmed: The MythBusters went to an observatory equipped with a high powered laser. They first fired at the bare lunar surface but did not detect the laser bouncing back. Then they pointed the laser at a reflector left behind by NASA and received a confirmed bounce.