Resurfaced clips of Buzz Aldrin reignite conspiracy theories after he 'admitted' moon landing was fake
A resurfaced clip of Buzz Aldrin has reignited conspiracy theories of America's 1969 Moon landing, after the astronaut appears to deny the trip ever happened.
This Sunday (20 July) will be the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings, which saw Aldrin follow Neil Armstrong in making 'one giant leap for mankind' and stepping out onto the lunar surface.
Planting the US flag into the surface of the Moon was, of course, a major moment in human history, even more impressive when you consider there was just 66 years between the first ever aeroplane fight and Apollo 11.
Five-and-a-half decades on from Armstrong and Aldrin's journey and humans have visited the moon a total of six times between 1969 and 1972.
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However, not everyone is convinced by this achievement.
Where did conspiracies about the Moon landings being faked come from?
Speculation about the legitimacy of the Moon landings long predate the invention of the internet, following the claims made in a 1976 book by former US Navy officer Bill Kaysing.
The claims were later picked up by fringe group such as the Flat Earth Society and have since spread like wildfire online, with anywhere between 10 and 25 percent of people believing the Moon landings were created inside a film studio, according to numerous studies.
Has Buzz Aldrin said the Moon landings were faked?
The 95-year-old initially raised eyebrows about his involvement in the Moon landings back in 2000 during an appearance on Conan O'Brien.
During the interview, O'Brien recalls watching the moon landings live on TV as a child, to which Aldrin responds: "No, you didn't... There wasn't any television, there wasn't anyone taking a picture. You watched an animation."
The conspiracy would go viral again in 2015 after what appears to be a heavily edited clip of a young girl questioning Aldrin about why there hasn't been any further moon landings, to which he appears to say: "Because we didn't go there."
Another edited clip involving Aldrin at a Q&A session at Oxford Union in 2015 has also done the rounds over the years, with the astronaut's answer doctored so it appears that he says: "It didn’t happen. It could’ve been scary."
It's also worth noting that Aldrin's 2000 Conan O'Brien appearance has also been taken out of context over the past couple of years. Aldrin is correct in saying that animations were used in 1969 news broadcasts as there was no TV cameras on the Moon ready to record Apollo 11's initial landing.
What has Buzz Aldrin said in response to conspiracy theories about the Moon landings?
To no one's surprise, Aldrin is not too impressed by people suggesting the biggest achievement as an astronaut was a lie.
In 2002, Aldrin was approached by documentary maker and conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel - a man who has created multiple videos questioning the legitimacy of the Apollo Moon missions - and harassed about his role in the mission.
Aldrin ultimately loses his cool with Sibrel, after making numerous requests for him to leave, and clocks him in the face.
Which is fair enough, to be honest.
Topics: Science, Space, Weird, Conspiracy Theory
Brenna Cooper