You are right to be embarrassed.

They could always claim that the new mission is faked as well, except that the reality of the situation (see my previous post) will be overwhelmingly convincing since it will take a decade for us to do it.

Just like before.

- Jack

I’m a skeptic too concerning many theories in science today– but all of our moon landings a hoax? Just the first one? What? There’s nothing wrong with looking at their “evidence”, maybe we did a little “enhanced” photography but it’s a rediculous theory in general. As Spock might say, completely illogical!! These guys better get a lot of play now because whoever goes back to our previous landing sites first (or gets current photos other than us) will have the goods. I believe everyone that openly ascribed to this hoax will then have egg on their face and will look very foolish.

You are absolutely correct about keeping control. The thing I always hate about those “debates” is that they let the MHB’s go first, which always puts you on the defensive and makes it look like your covering up things since you only “explain” the parts they bring up.

I would rather go on the offensive and have them address the following:

1) The ones with the most to lose from our landing on the moon was the Soviet Union. If this were a conspiracy, why didn’t they blow the lid off? Why have they been silent all these years?

2) At what level, exactly, was the conspiracy administrated? Who were the participants? If your readers will trundle over to the Clavius website (http://www.clavius.org/why.html) there’s a great logical treatise on how the concept of a conspiracy with this many people working on the project is essentially self-cancelling.

3) I have a tactic that I use, but it’s only viable for those of us who were alive during the time of the Apollo program. I ask the MHB, “How do you know that Michael Jackson/Britney Spears/Lindsey Lohan/Paris Hilton or any other high profile celebrity exists? Have you ever met them? Couldn’t their entire “story” be nothing but an elaborate hoax by media companies to sell magazines and web space?

It’s the same thing growing up in the ’60s. The space program was on the news, if not daily, then several times every week. The Mercury and Gemini missions were covered in almost total launch-to-landing coverage. All of the networks had “filler” shows with endless parades of astronauts, scientists, engineers and other folks who did color commentary by chatting at great length about the tiniest details of the hardware, the science, the training. No conspiracy, government or otherwise, can be that detailed or that complete. This will become even more significant after you read the “vast conspiracy” portion of the Clavius site.

- Jack