Buzz Aldrin Opens Up about His Iconic Moon Landing Photograph

When an American first landed on the moon, it was a sight to behold. Though Neil Armstrong was first to step on the lunar surface, Buzz Aldrin followed closely behind. Roughly 600 million people throughout the world were glued to their televisions to see it happen in 1969.

However, some people don’t accept the truth from that achievement. There has been a range of strange conspiracy theories that have popped up about the moon landing. It’s important to know what really happened from someone who was there.

What does Buzz Aldrin say happened while he was on the moon? You might be surprised at some of the details!

The Television Erupts

On July 20, 1969, 600 million people watched Apollo 11 make the final descent onto the moon’s surface. Though Neil Armstrong got the first historic step, Buzz Aldrin wasn’t far behind. Years later, he’s finally revealed some facts about things on the moon!

Iconic Shots

In one 2016 interview, Aldrin talked about his moon trip, which centered on the color shots taken by Armstrong. Neil took the still photos because he was holding the camera. Most of the famous ones were captured using a Hasselblad, which is a high-performance model.

The Salute

The astronauts captured a gallery of amazing images from the first manned expedition to the moon. That’s not a surprise, given how momentous an accomplishment the two men made by standing on the surface. There’s a great shot of Aldrin standing by the country’s flag!

The Visor Image

Another unforgettable shot was Aldrin’s boot print shown in the moon-dust. You may also remember the visor image. Here, Aldrin faces the camera, and we can see Armstrong in the visor’s reflection. The Eagle was also visible.

Slip of the Tongue

One topic Aldrin addressed in the 2016 interview at England’s Science Museum was about the photography of the mission. While answering questions, he slipped up with a startling admission. In fact, he said that the moon landing was very well-staged.

Fulfilling the Promise

Armstrong and Aldrin had a successful moon landing and were with Michael Collins for the return trip. However, President John F. Kennedy was fulfilling a commitment from 1961. He told the Congressional session that America’s men should be on the moon at the end of the decade. Though he had been dead for six years, the dream still came true.

American Veteran

Such commitment to expand the space program came from the Cold War. The conflict between the Soviet Union and the US was a clash of ideas that sometimes spilled into the battlefield. For example, Aldrin was a fighter pilot in the Korean War, flying in 66 missions and taking out two MiG jets.

Losing the Race

The Space Race was another issue. When Kennedy announced his intention to have Americans on the moon, the Soviets had already stolen some of the space exploration marches twice. Clearly, the US was lagging and hadn’t made as many advancements.

Essential Experience

The president’s pledge led the NASA space program to accelerate its Gemini missions throughout the 1960s. Aldrin flew on the Gemini XII, which was the final mission from 1966. In about two years, the program perfected many maneuvers and operations that were needed for the moon landing.

Failure to Launch

The next step for the project of getting a man on the moon was the Apollo program from NASA. It didn’t get off to the best start. Ultimately, a three-man crew was supposed to launch aboard the Apollo 1, but they were all killed during a practice take-off drill in 1967. However, things were on track again in October of 1968.

Trial and Error

Apollo 7 was the next crewed mission, and the three-man crew was successful in orbiting Earth 163 times. It was noted as the first spaceflight in America to show live television pictures to the public. The next three missions moved closer to the goal of being on the moon.

Seeking a Safe Landing

Aldrin, Collins, and Armstrong were the Apollo 11 mission astronauts. Armstrong was commander, with Collins as the command module pilot. The command ship was what returned the astronauts back to Earth at the end. Aldrin piloted the lunar module, so it was up to him to land on the surface.

Launch of Historic Proportions

Apollo 11 was powered by a Saturn V rocket at 363 feet tall. It took off in July of 1969 from Cape Kennedy in Florida. This was just one of four sections, including the Columbia and the Eagle. Thousands upon thousands of people went to the base that day to watch them head into space.

Setting Off

When the spacecraft left the Earth’s atmosphere, it went straight to the moon from the thrust of the other three sections. The first launched them off the ground and remained there, and the second got them through the stratosphere.

Not a Short Road Trip

Just about three hours after launch, the Apollo modules separated from the rocket. The Columbus one had to separate from the Eagle so that they were at the right configurations. Both parts docked together successfully, setting off toward the moon. About two space days later, they were in the lunar orbit.

The 12th Time’s a Charm

By now, it was July 20th. Aldrin and Armstrong climbed into the Eagle, allowing Collins to stay in the lunar orbit. The pair flew toward the moon’s surface. They had already circled the moon 12 times and were ready for the descent.

Switching to Manual

The first thing to do was get the lunar module into an elliptical orbit to bring them as close to the surface as possible (50,000 feet). Then, they used the engine of the Eagle to start a controlled descent. At about 500 feet, Armstrong switched to manual control.

An Immortal Message

Finally, the lunar module landed. This was announced by Armstrong in the immortal message, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Originally, the flight plan showed a four-hour break before the men left the capsule. However, they were ready almost immediately.

One Small Step

The preparations to leave the module took about four hours. Finally, about 110 hours after leaving the Earth, Armstrong stepped onto the moon’s rocky terrain. He radioed another message, which is now a central part of the story. He said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Let the Explorations Begin

Roughly 20 minutes later, Aldrin followed down the ladder to get to the moon’s surface. Armstrong had a television camera set up for the millions of Earth viewers to see the events. Both astronauts started exploring the surface, spending about 2.5 hours outside.

Locating Anomalies

The two astronauts spend about 22 hours on the moon’s surface before docking with Columbus. During the time outside, they had taken tons of photos, with most of them being published over and over online and in the press. Some who claim that the moon landing didn’t happen use anomalies within the photos as evidence.

The Shadow Question

“Moon truthers” repeatedly use the photos to prove that the entire mission was staged. An example is the image showing shadows on the ground which aren’t parallel. That makes them question the mission by indicating that stage lighting was used. However, experts reject the allegation.

The Matter of Perspective

The London Royal Museums Greenwich website quotes Professor Anu Ojha, the director of the British National Space Academy. He explained the parallel shadows issue, saying that scientists can reproduce the effects on Earth. Everyone has seen the phenomenon themselves where the parallel lines appear non-parallel.

No Stars Ahead

Ojha also said that you can make lines do weird things when trying to reduce a three-dimensional situation into a two-dimensional plane. Artists have done so for centuries. Then, he debunked another photo issue. The “truthers” claim that the moon mission photos showing the sky don’t include stars, which proved the astronauts weren’t in space.

Don’t Forget the Sun

The explanation for the lack of stars is simple. It was daytime on the moon when the shots were taken. The sunlight means that stars aren’t visible. Some claim focuses on the picture with the US flag showing the stars and stripes ruffled by the breeze. Conspiracy theorists claim that no wind is on the moon.

What Breeze

The truth is the flag uses a stiffening pole at the top. The wrinkles are explained easily, and Ojha claims that the wrinkles were there because it’s been mashed together for four full days. He begs people to use critical-thinking skills instead of reading misinformation online.

Fiery Deniers

Ojha takes an analytical approach to the “moon truther” claims. Unsurprisingly, most people aren’t so dispassionate. Buzz Aldrin became angry and irritated. In fact, his temper boiled over when he was confronted by a denier.

False Interview

Bart Sibrel was 37 at the time, and he weighed 250 pounds and was 6’2″. Aldrin was much smaller and 72 when this episode occurred in 2002. The astronaut had been enticed to a hotel in California for a false interview with a Japanese television channel.

He Wasn’t Prepared

When Aldrin arrived, he was confronted by a conspiracy theorist Sibrel who demanded that Buzz swear on the Bible to have traveled to the moon, which is what he had done to other astronauts. However, he didn’t anticipate the answer he got because Aldrin punched him square in the face.

No Charge

Afterward, Sibrel told the St. Petersburg Times that he was very surprised to be hit. It was foolish for Aldrin to do that in front of two cameras. He also said that he hadn’t seen it coming, and Buzz had a good punch. The Beverly Hills police chose to treat the punch as self-defense, so there were no criminal charges.

Exhibit 2

Aldrin was in a better mood in 2016 when he was interviewed at a London event in front of a live audience. Brian Cox interviewed him at the Science Museum. This popular TV presenter was also a particle physics professor at the University of Manchester.

Looking Closer in the Visor

Aldrin and Cox came onto the topic of the visor picture. It’s where Aldrin stood with a clear reflection of Armstrong in the helmet visor. Armstrong took the picture. What did Buzz Aldrin say about it?

Reflections

Cox was blown away by the image. YouTube footage recorded at the event has him saying that it’s the most famous picture about the expedition. However, he focused on the widespread issues about the photo. Some people claim it’s Neil Armstrong, but he was in the reflection!

Photographic Evidence

Cox went even further to say that it’s an iconic picture for human history. Aldrin elaborated on the helmet image story. He claimed that Neil was a great photographer. He demonstrated how he walked on the surface, too.

Neil’s Lens

Aldrin recalled that Neil said to stop, so he stopped and looked around. The picture was taken immediately. You could see that he was moving a bit. However, people asked him about it because it was “well-staged.”

Using the Opportunities

Aldrin went on to say that people ask him why it’s so perfect and iconic, and he had only one thing to say: Location. The audience laughed at that, and it’s clear Buzz used the line before. Throughout the years, he’s become a great public speaker!

Out of Context Phrase

The single phrase of being well-staged could be taken out of context easily and used to fuel the fire of conspiracy theorists. In fact, The Daily Express, a British tabloid newspaper, headlined an article with the phrase, saying that Buzz Aldrin confessed after 50 years.

Take a Moment

If you rip the words Aldrin said from their context, you might claim that he confessed to faking the whole mission to the moon. However, you’d have to be delusional to believe he admitted that the entire thing was fake.

He Said, She Said

Aldrin was a victim of many conspiracy theorist fantasies in the past. According to Snopes (fact-checkers), Huzler published a prank website saying that Aldrin admitted to faking the mission. He claimed that Aldrin was quoted as saying none of it was real.

Just Keep It to Yourself

Moon truthers spread those words on social media because they failed to see that Huzler is a prank site and proclaims to be one. Those who believe it was all a hoax were embarrassed and fooled themselves. If you do think it was faked, don’t tell Buzz Aldrin, or he might punch you in the face!