No Universe or Future if You Fall into Conspiracy Theories [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] "But did humanity really go to the moon?" This question came up while excitedly talking about space exploration with friends during last Chuseok after a long time.

In fact, it is an old conspiracy theory. It claims that the United States faked the Apollo 11 moon landing footage to win the competition against the former Soviet Union, and many still believe it. NASA was so troubled by this that it issued official explanations and supporting materials in the late 1970s. Conspiracy theorists question why the American flag fluttered in the moon exploration footage where there is no atmosphere. Other points include why stars are not visible in the lunar sky, why the footprints on the surface are so clear, and how the videos seem to have been filmed as if someone was greeting the astronauts landing. There are also questions about how the lunar module returned without a launch pad and why humans have not returned to the moon in the past 50 years.

Let's look at the scientific rebuttals. First, the American flag did not flutter because of wind but only shook and was jolted during the process of being planted. The footage was taken during the daytime with strong sunlight, and the exposure was set accordingly, so stars were not captured. The lunar soil carries static electricity, preserving footprints permanently. The landing footage was filmed by a camera attached to the legs of the lunar module. The lunar module docked with the command module orbiting the moon to return. The reason humans have not returned since then is simply that there was nothing more to do with the scientific level at the time.

At that time, tens of millions of people worldwide watched the entire moon landing process live through TV broadcasts sent by the United States. Even the rival former Soviet Union acknowledged it with 'silence.' The laser reflectors left on the moon are still used for distance measurements today.

Many also consider photos from astronomical telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope to be 'fake.' They claim astronomers deceive the public and fabricate images to obtain research funding. In fact, it is true that the full-color astronomical photos are 'processed' images that we cannot see in reality. They capture and digitize light of invisible wavelengths such as infrared, ultraviolet, and gamma rays beyond visible light, then process them according to the purpose. Generally, nearby stars with high-energy, short-wavelength infrared light are visualized in blue hues. Conversely, distant stars with low-energy, long-wavelength light are visualized in red hues.

Depending on the research purpose, near-infrared is used to emphasize the overall appearance of targets like galaxies, while mid-infrared highlights internal structures. Even photos of the same celestial body can look completely different depending on the research purpose, reason, and the individual researcher's choices and preferences regarding hue, color tone, contrast, and exposure, which can cause misunderstandings. But consider X-ray images used to observe bones. Visualizing distant celestial bodies so that people can see them may be 'staging' but is not fraud.

Although advanced science has developed to explore the 'realm of gods' and the era of space pioneering has arrived, conspiracy theories still run rampant here and there. Causes include forgetfulness, lack of learning, people who can read but whose literacy is declining, and the influence of fake news. Recently, it has been reported that fake news YouTubers earn tens of billions of won annually from super chats.

Science is logical, rational, concise, specific, and empirically verifiable. The development of science determines the survival of nations in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Even if you are not a scientist, do not fall into the delusion of baseless conspiracy theories. We should aim for a scientific attitude in life that judges based on empirical evidence and rational, logical reasoning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.