Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first astronauts to land on the moon in July 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission. While some people believe the moon landing was faked, there is evidence that refutes common conspiracy theories. The flag seen waving in photos could have been moving due to lack of wind resistance on the moon. Shadows were possible because the lunar surface reflects its own light. Footprints remained clear because the moon's dust is fine and compacted. Despite some stars not being visible in photos, the astronauts likely could see them, but the camera had difficulty capturing them in the moon's bright glare.

1. By: Taylor K.

2. Introduction Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, two out of three of the first astronauts, landed on the moon July 20 th ,1969. They travelled on Apollo 11 and flew approximately 1/4 million miles to set foot on the moon’s surface. When they landed, Neil Armstrong spoke his famous words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.“ but this “leap for mankind” has been questioned. The Russians have never sent a man to the moon and now, nearly forty years later, there are still no American plans for another visit. In spite of all the evidence, some people continue to believe that the landing of man on the moon was a trick of television.

3. What Counter Evidence is There? There are no future return plans. Images show that stars were missing from the black lunar sky. Astronauts footprints were left undisturbed and without dust. There were shadows on the moon. The American Flag was blowing in the “wind.”

4. Answers to Myths: Fluttering Flag: In space, a vacuum has no friction. The inertia caused the flag to move because when the astronauts attached the flag to the surface, the moon continued to move the rod and the flag – causing them to be slightly bent.

5. Answers to Myths: Shadows on the Moon: In space, the sun is not the only light source of the moon. The lunar surface reflects its own light which illuminates all things on the surface.

6. Answers to Myths: The Perfect Footprint: Dust on the moon is fine and compacted. Because of this, when Armstrong took a step on the moon, his footprint maintained its shaped. Due to the vacuum on the moon, those footprints are still visible today.

7. Answers to Myths: Starless Sky: Because the moon reflects light, the camera had a hard time seeing the stars because of the camera's settings. Knowing this, it is very possible that the astronauts saw stars but the camera was unable to capture them because of the glare.

8. Did it Happen? Despite the fact that 20% of Americans believe that the Apollo 11 landing was a hoax, I personally believe they did land on the moon. There is enough evidence to prove that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong visited our moon and for the reasons against it, there are counter answers. Looking at where we are today, it is very possible that back in 1969 our technology was strong and advanced enough to fly a shuttle to the moon.

9. Works Cited : Primary Sources: Chaffee, and White.. &quot;Bill Kaysing.&quot; Theories with Problems by Keith Mayes . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.thekeyboard.org.uk/Bill%20Kaysing.htm>. &quot;Interview with Buzz Aldrin | NASA: Challenging the Space Frontier | Scholastic.com.&quot; Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities | Scholastic.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/space/ Secondary Sources: Cole, Michael D.. Apollo 11: First Moon Landing (Countdown to Space) . Library Binding ed. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, 1995. Print. &quot;Facts and Info about the Fake Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy Theory.&quot; Facts About Everything! Arts, Literature, Science, History, Events, Entertainment, People, Places and the Natural World . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-moon-landing-conspiracy-hoax-theory.htm>. &quot;PHOTOS: 8 Moon-Landing Hoax Myths -- Busted.&quot; Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/photogalleries/apollo-moon-landing-hoax-pictures/>.