BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • False Boot Print Comparison Shared...
      World

      False Boot Print Comparison Shared To Claim Moon Landing Was A Hoax

      An expert said Neil Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin wore overshoes while on the Moon's surface.

      By - AFP |
      Published -  4 March 2021 6:15 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      False Boot Print Comparison Shared To Claim Moon Landing Was A Hoax

      An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that purports to show a comparison between the boot tread of a spacesuit worn by US astronaut Neil Armstrong for his 1969 mission to the Moon and a boot print he apparently left on the Moon's surface. The posts suggest the boot's tread does not "match up" with the boot print, indicating the Moon landing may have been a "hoax". The claim is false: the image shows Armstrong's preserved spacesuit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, but an expert said Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin wore overshoes while on the Moon's surface.

      The image was posted on Facebook here. The post has been shared more than 140 times.


      A screenshot of the post, taken February 22, 2020.

      The photo purports to show a comparison between "Neil Armstrong's astronaut suit" (L) and "his footprints on the Moon" (R). The post goes on to claim that Armstrong's boots do not match his purported boot prints on the Moon and concludes: "Now you decide whether the moon landing was real or a hoax."

      Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. A summary of the mission was published here on NASA's website.

      The image comparison was also shared hundreds of times alongside similar claims on Facebook here, here, here, here and here.

      The claim is false.

      The image of Neil Armstrong's astronaut suit was taken by American astronomer Phil Plait. It was featured in this article for online magazine Slate, which reports on the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum efforts to conserve the suit.

      The boot print image, however, actually shows a footprint left by Armstrong's fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, according to this listing on the US National Gallery of Art's website.

      Below is the screenshot comparison used in the misleading Facebook posts (top) and the original images of Armstrong's spacesuit and Aldrin's boot print (bottom):

      The image comparison of Neil Armstrong's spacesuit and Buzz Aldrins footprint (top) and screenshots of the original images side by side (bottom).

      Dr Cathleen Lewis, a spacesuit expert from the US-based Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, told AFP the boot prints and the boots featured in the misleading posts do not match because Armstrong and Aldrin wore different boots on the Moon.

      "All twelve Apollo astronauts who walked on the surface of the Moon wore lunar overshoes," she said. "These oversized galoshes had blue silicone soles that left the iconic footprint in the lunar surface dust.

      "They were designed to provide the Apollo astronauts with added traction in the dust. The lunar overshoes also had extra layers of white beta cloth and thin layers of insulation textiles to add further protection against unfiltered solar radiation."

      This photo on the NASA website documents the Apollo 11 mission. It shows Aldrin exiting the Lunar Module with the blue silicone lined lunar overshoes mentioned by Lewis. The boot tread matches the footprint pictured in the misleading Facebook posts.

      An image comparison of the photo of Buzz Aldrin exiting the Lunar Module and Aldrin's boot print can be seen below.

      Buzz Aldrin's boot print on the moon (L) and him exiting the Lunar Module wearing overshoes (R).

      Lewis also explained that the image of Armstrong's suit does not include the lunar shoes because he and Aldrin left their overshoes on the Moon "due to weight considerations".

      "The overshoes, Personal Life Support Systems and other equipment were considered as ballast," she said. "Every gram that they left on the surface of the Moon meant that they could bring back an additional gram of lunar samples".

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      Neil ArmstrongBuzz AldrinSpace HoaxSpace MissionsMoon
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Photo shows a comparison between the boot tread of a spacesuit worn by Neil Armstrong and a boot print he left on the Moon's surface.
      Claimed By :  Posts on Facebook
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!