Editing Moon landing conspiracy theories (section)

== Claimed motives of the United States and NASA ==
Those who believe the Moon landings were faked offer several theories about the motives of NASA and the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]]. The three main theories are below.

=== Space Race ===
Motivation for the United States to engage the [[Soviet Union]] in a [[Space Race]] can be traced to the  [[Cold War]]. Landing on the Moon was viewed as a national and technological accomplishment that would generate world-wide acclaim. But going to the Moon would be risky and expensive, as exemplified by President [[John F. Kennedy#Space policy|John F. Kennedy]] famously stating in [[We choose to go to the Moon|a 1962 speech]] that the United States chose to go {{em|because}} it was hard.<ref>[[#Chaikin|Chaikin 2007]], p. 2, "We choose to go to the Moon! We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things – not because they are easy, but because they are ''hard.''" — Kennedy speaking at [[Rice University]], September 12, 1962.</ref>

Hoax theory debunker [[Phil Plait]] says in his 2002 book ''[[Bad Astronomy]]''{{efn|He does this in [http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html his site] as well}} that the Soviets – with [[Soviet crewed lunar programs|their own competing Moon program]], an [[nuclear espionage|extensive intelligence network]] and a formidable scientific community able to analyze NASA data – would have "cried foul" if the United States tried to fake a Moon landing,<ref>[[#Plait|Plait 2002]], p. 173</ref> especially since their own program had failed. Proving a hoax would have been a huge propaganda win for the Soviets. Instead,  the third edition (1970–1979) of the ''[[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]'' contained many articles reporting the landings as factual, such as its article on Neil Armstrong.<ref name=GSE-01a>{{cite news|url=https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Neil+Armstrong|title="Neil Armstrong." ''The Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 3rd Edition. 1970–1979. The Gale Group, Inc. |publisher=[[TheFreeDictionary.com|The Free Dictionary [Internet]]]|author=|date=|access-date=February 25, 2021|quote= ... Armstrong made the historic first flight to the moon with E. Aldrin and M. Collins, from July 16 to 24, 1969, serving as commander of the spacecraft Apollo 11. A lunar module with Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in the area of the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon (July 21, 1969); he spent two hours, 21 minutes and 16 seconds outside the spacecraft. After successfully completing its program, the crew of Apollo II returned to earth. ...''The Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 3rd Edition (1970–1979). 2010 The Gale Group, Inc.}}</ref> Their article on [[space exploration]] describes the Apollo 11 landing as "the third historic event" of the [[space age]], following the launch of [[Sputnik]] in 1957, and [[Yuri Gagarin]]'s flight in 1961.<ref name=GSE-02a>{{cite news|url=https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/space+exploration|title="space exploration." ''The Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 3rd Edition. 1970–1979. The Gale Group, Inc. |publisher=[[TheFreeDictionary.com|The Free Dictionary [Internet]]]|author=|date=|access-date=February 25, 2021|quote=... The space age. Oct. 4, 1957, the date on which the USSR launched the first artificial earth satellite, is considered the dawn of the space age. A second important date is Apr. 12, 1961, the date of the first manned space flight, by Iu. A. Gagarin, the start of man’s direct penetration into space. The third historical event is the first lunar expedition, by N. Armstrong, E. Aldrin, and M. Collins (USA), July 16–24, 1969.. ...''The Great Soviet Encyclopedia'', 3rd Edition (1970–1979). 2010 The Gale Group, Inc.}} (Warning to avoid possible confusion: At the same cited web address the Soviet-era article is preceded by a 2013 article on space exploration from ''[[The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia]]'')</ref>

Conspiracist [[Bart Sibrel]] responded, incorrectly asserting that, "the Soviets did not have the capability to track deep space craft until late in 1972, immediately after which, the last three Apollo missions were abruptly canceled."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moonmovie.com/faq.htm |title=Moon Hoax Moonmovie.com Frequently Asked Questions |work=Moonmovie.com |publisher=AFTH, LLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212134517/http://www.moonmovie.com/faq.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2008 |access-date=August 26, 2009}}</ref> [[Canceled Apollo missions|Those missions]] were canceled, not abruptly, but for cost-cutting reasons. The announcements were made in January and September 1970,<ref>{{Cite magazine | url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,902767,00.html | title=Science: Waning Moon Program| magazine=Time| date=September 14, 1970}}</ref> two full years before the "late 1972" claimed by Sibrel.<ref name="Cancelled Apollos">"[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_18_20.html Apollo 18 through 20 – The Canceled Missions]", Dr. David R. Williams, NASA, accessed July 19, 2006.</ref> (See [[#Vietnam War|Vietnam War]] below.)

In fact, the Soviets had been sending [[uncrewed spacecraft]] to the Moon since 1959,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/gal114/SpaceRace/sec300/sec361.htm |title=Soviet Lunar Programs |website=Space Race |publisher=[[National Air and Space Museum]] |location=Washington, D.C. |type=Online version of exhibition on view in Gallery 114 |access-date=November 13, 2010 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510120502/http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/gal114/spacerace/sec300/sec361.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> and "during 1962, deep space tracking facilities were introduced at IP-15 in [[Ussuriysk|Ussuriisk]] and IP-16 in [[Yevpatoria|Evpatoria]] (Crimean Peninsula), while Saturn communication stations were added to IP-3, 4 and 14,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kik.html |title=Russia's space command and control infrastructure |last=Zak |first=Anatoly |website=RussianSpaceWeb.com |publisher=Anatoly Zak |access-date=November 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708063431/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kik.html |archive-date=July 8, 2010}}</ref> the last of which having a {{Convert|100|e6km|abbr=unit}} range.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.astronautix.com/articles/sovstems.htm |title=Soviet Space Tracking Systems |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Astronautica]] |publisher=Mark Wade |access-date=November 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101224934/http://www.astronautix.com/articles/sovstems.htm |archive-date=November 1, 2010}}</ref> The Soviet Union tracked the Apollo missions at the Space Transmissions Corps, which was "fully equipped with the latest intelligence-gathering and surveillance equipment."<ref>[[#Scheaffer|Scheaffer 2004]], p. 247</ref> [[Vasily Mishin]], in an interview for the article "The Moon Programme That Faltered," describes how the Soviet Moon program dwindled after the Apollo landings.<ref>{{cite journal |date=March 1991 |title=The Moon Programme That Faltered |journal=[[Spaceflight (magazine)|Spaceflight]] |volume=33 |pages=2–3 |location=London |publisher=[[British Interplanetary Society]]|bibcode=1991SpFl...33....2.}}</ref>

In May 2023&nbsp;[[Dmitry Rogozin]], former director general of the Russian space agency, [[Roscosmos]], expressed doubt that U.S. astronauts landed on the Moon. He complained of not receiving a satisfactory answer when he asked his agency to provide evidence. He said his colleagues at Roscosmos were angry about his questions and did not want to undermine cooperation with NASA.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Berger |first1=Eric |title=Former head of Roscosmos now thinks NASA did not land on the Moon |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/05/former-head-of-roscosmos-now-thinks-nasa-did-not-land-on-the-moon/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=12 May 2023 |date=May 8, 2023}}</ref>

=== NASA funding and prestige ===
Conspiracy theorists claim that NASA faked the landings to avoid humiliation and to ensure that it continued to get funding. NASA raised "about US$30 billion" to go to the Moon, and [[Bill Kaysing|Kaysing]] claimed in his book that this could have been used to "pay off" many people.<ref>[[#Kaysing|Kaysing 2002]], p. 71</ref> Since most conspiracists believe that sending men to the Moon was impossible at the time,<ref>[[#Attivissimo|Attivissimo 2013]], p. 163</ref> they argue that landings had to be faked to fulfill Kennedy's 1961 goal, "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."<ref name="Special Message">{{cite AV media |people=Kennedy, John F. |date=May 25, 1961 |title=Special Message to Congress on Urgent National Needs |medium=Motion picture (excerpt) |url=http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx |access-date=August 1, 2013 |publisher=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum |location=Boston, MA |id=Accession Number: TNC:200; Digital Identifier: TNC-200-2}}</ref> In fact, NASA accounted for the cost of Apollo to the US Congress in 1973, totaling US$25.4 billion.<ref>{{cite book |author=Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Astronautics |title=1974 NASA Authorization Hearings |type=Hearing on H.R. 4567 |year=1973 |publisher=[[93rd United States Congress|93rd Congress]], first session |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=23229007 |ref=93rd Congress}}</ref>

Mary Bennett and David Percy claimed in the 2001 book ''Dark Moon: Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers'', that, with all the known and unknown hazards,<ref>[[#Bennett & Percy|Bennett & Percy 2001]], p. 77</ref> NASA would not risk broadcasting an astronaut getting sick or dying on live television.<ref>[[#Bennett & Percy|Bennett & Percy 2001]], pp. 330–331</ref> The counter-argument generally given is that NASA in fact ''did'' incur a great deal of public humiliation and potential political opposition to the program by losing an entire crew in the [[Apollo 1]] fire during a ground test, leading to its upper management team being questioned by Senate and House of Representatives space oversight committees.<ref>{{Citation
  |last = Anderson
  |first = Clinton P.
  |author-link = Clinton Presba Anderson
  |title = Apollo 204 Accident: Report of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, United States Senate, with Additional Views
  |volume = Senate Report 956
  |place = Washington, D.C.
  |publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office
  |date=January 30, 1968
  |url = http://klabs.org/richcontent/Reports/Failure_Reports/as-204/senate_956/index.htm
  |ref = Anderson
  |url-status=dead
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141220043317/http://klabs.org/richcontent/Reports/Failure_Reports/as-204/senate_956/index.htm
  |archive-date=December 20, 2014
  }}</ref> There was in fact no video broadcast during either the landing or takeoff because of technological limitations.<ref>{{cite book
  |last         = Steven-Boniecki
  |first        = Dwight
  |title        = Live TV From the Moon
  |year         = 2010
  |publisher    = Apogee Books
  |location     = Burlington, Ontario
  |isbn         = 978-1926592169
  |url          = http://www.livetvfromthemoon.com/
  |access-date  = September 14, 2014
  |archive-date = November 5, 2018
  |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20181105224828/http://www.livetvfromthemoon.com/
  |url-status   = dead
  }}</ref>

=== Vietnam War ===
The American Patriot Friends Network claimed in 2009 that the landings helped the United States government distract public attention from the unpopular [[Role of the United States in the Vietnam War#Americanization|Vietnam War]], and so crewed landings suddenly ended about the same time that the United States ended its involvement in the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apfn.org/apfn/moon.htm |title=Was The Apollo Moon Landing Fake? |date=July 21, 2009 |website=American Patriot Friends Network (APFN) |access-date=November 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516174114/http://www.apfn.org/apfn/moon.htm |archive-date=May 16, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In fact, the ending of the landings was not "sudden" (see [[#Space Race|Space Race]] above). The war was one of several federal budget items with which NASA had to compete; NASA's budget peaked in 1966, and fell by 42% by 1972.<ref>U.S. Office of Management and Budget</ref> This was the reason the final flights were cut, along with plans for even more ambitious follow-on programs such as a permanent [[space station]] and crewed flight to Mars.<ref>Hepplewhite, T.A. [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4221/sp4221.htm ''The Space Shuttle Decision: NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle''], chapter 4. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1999.</ref>