Latest news with #Aldrin
Metro
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Fact check: Did Buzz Aldrin really admit he never went to the Moon?
Hiyah Zaidi Published July 18, 2025 12:44pm Link is copied Comments Going to the Moon is one of humanity's greatest achievements, with the first two people stepping foot on the lunar surface being Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr. However, as the 56th anniversary of the event rolls around, social media users are sharing a resurfaced clip of Buzz Aldrin being interviewed by Conan O'Brian, an American TV host, where the astronaut says that parts of the moon landing broadcasts were animated. Another circulating clip claims Aldrin admitted they never went to the Moon. So, what's going on? (Picture: Getty) In an interview, which can be found on YouTube, Mr O'Brien says: 'Let's talk about this because this is fascinating. I remember very clearly; I think anybody who was alive at the time does. I remember my parents waking me up and we went down, and we watched you guys land on the moon.' Mr Aldrin replies: 'No, you didn't. Because there wasn't any television, there wasn't anybody taking the picture. You watched animation so you associated what you saw with… you heard me talking about, you know, how many feet we're going to the left and right and then I said contact light, engine stopped, a few other things and then Neil said "Houston, tranquility base. The Eagle has landed." How about that? Not a bad line' (Picture: Getty) In 2009, NASA released a complete digital make-over of the original landing footage that clarifies the blurry and grainy images of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum states that for Apollo 11's mission, Nasa worked with Westinghouse for a black and white camera costing $2.29 million to capture the moment. And on its website it says: 'Many broadcasters used simulations to flesh out their Apollo programming. Networks paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for scale models of Apollo command modules and rockets. During the broadcast, these were used to create simulations of the mission which were then intercut with real footage' - which may be the animations Aldrin was referring to (Picture: Getty) Vox reveals some television networks built sets to recreate some of the moments that were not able to be captured on video. Speaking to Reuters, Dr Margaret Weitekamp, Chair of the Space History Department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, said: 'The thing to remember is what news was like in the late 1960s, not 24-hour continuous coverage. The coverage of that trip needed to be explained to the public without the ability for continuous relay of video we are now used to. Animations would have been a part of a constellation of different ways that that story was told over a series of days. At the time, the coverage would have been combined with animations that helped provide a broader picture of what was being done. But this certainly doesn't invalidate that those landings took place' (Picture: Getty) In another clip, it shows Mr Aldrin at the 2015 National Book Festival, where a young girl interviews him about space, and asks why nobody has been to the Moon in a long time. He seems to respond by saying: 'Because we didn't go there, and that's the way it happened.' However, the clip seems to be cut, and it misses out on some vital context where the quote could be understood to be referring to the lack of Moon missions since, rather than his own landing (Picture: Getty) The version on social media cuts off where he continues: 'And if it didn't happen it's nice to know why it didn't happen so in the future, if we want to keep doing something, we need to know why something stopped in the past if we want to keep it going.' Full Fact reports that he explains that money is a factor, as more money is needed for new space equipment and resources. He adds: 'So having achieved what the President wanted us to do, and then what thousands, millions of people in America, and millions of people around the world... You know when we toured around the world after we came back [from the Moon] the most fascinating observation was signs that said 'we did it.' Not just us. But we, the world. They felt like they were part of what we were able to do. And that made us feel very good' (Picture: Getty) There is plenty of evidence that the Moon landing happened, including photographs. The three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Micheal Collins, launched in Apollo 11 after a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 – to perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth. Apollo 11 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, and just four days later, they had reached the Moon with Neil Armstrong stepping down saying the famous line: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' (Picture: Getty) Apollo 11 was not the only time a person stepped on the Moon. So far, a total of 12 people have been on the Moon, which all happened between July 1969 and December 1972 - now more than 50 years ago. Nasa has lined up a mission to send humans back onto the Moon's surface. This mission, known as Artemis III, is set to launch mid 2027, and will last around 30 days. The mission will see two crew members descend to the Moon's surface and spend around a week near the South Pole of the Moon before returning to lunar orbit to join their crew for the journey back to Earth (Picture: Getty)
The South African
21-07-2025
- Science
- The South African
Pope Leo XIV calls Buzz Aldrin to mark 1969 moon landing
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called astronaut Buzz Aldrin and visited the Vatican's astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo to mark the 56th anniversary of man's first moon landing. 'This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin,' the American pope wrote on X. 'Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation', he wrote. After Neil Armstrong, who died in 2012, Aldrin was the second person to set foot on the Moon on the historic Apollo 11 mission that secured the United States' victory in the space race. A devout Christian, Aldrin took communion on the lunar surface using a travel kit provided by his Presbyterian pastor. The pope said he blessed the 95-year-old US astronaut and his family during the call. Earlier Sunday, Leo visited the Vatican Observatory, which sits on a leafy hilltop near the papal summer home of Castel Gandolfo. Vatican photographs showed the pope looking through a large telescope in the Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world, where planetary scientists mix the study of meteorites with theology. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
Boston Globe
21-07-2025
- Science
- Boston Globe
Pope Leo XIV marks 56th anniversary of moon landing with observatory visit, call to Buzz Aldrin
This was Pope Leo's first visit to the observatory, founded in 1891 by Leo XIII. The first vision of it, however, can be traced back to the establishment by Pope Gregory XIII of a commission aimed at studying the scientific data and implications of the calendar reform that took place in 1582. Advertisement The Vatican Observatory has generated top-notch research from its scientist-clerics, drawing academics to its meteorite collection, which includes bits of Mars and is considered among the world's best. Later Sunday, the pope called astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who shared with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins the historic 1969 moonwalk. 'This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin,' Pope Leo, the first U.S. born Pope, wrote on his X account. 'Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation.' Pope Leo then blessed the astronaut, his family and his collaborators. Aldrin, 95, is the last living astronaut of the historic Apollo 11 mission. He earned a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advertisement There are a few precedents of papal calls to 'space.' In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI rang the space station and asked about the future of the planet and the environmental risks it faced. Before Benedict, Pope Paul VI sent a radio message to astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins after their moonwalk, calling them 'conquerors of the Moon.' Although Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon, Aldrin followed him down the ladder of the Eagle Lander. 'He gazed at the lunar landscape and spontaneously remarked to Houston, 'Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation,' according to Aldrin's official website. FILE - The reflections of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the U.S. flag, the lunar module and a television camera are seen in the face mask of astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin when his picture was made by Armstrong as they walked across the surface of the moon, July 20, 1969. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP, File) Neil Armstrong/Associated Press
New Straits Times
20-07-2025
- Science
- New Straits Times
Pope calls Buzz Aldrin to mark 1969 moon landing
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called astronaut Buzz Aldrin and visited the Vatican's astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo to mark the 56th anniversary of man's first moon landing. "This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin," the American pope wrote on X. "Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation", he wrote. After Neil Armstrong, who died in 2012, Aldrin was the second person to set foot on the Moon on the historic Apollo 11 mission that secured the United States' victory in the space race. A devout Christian, Aldrin took communion on the lunar surface using a travel kit provided by his Presbyterian pastor. The pope said he blessed the 95-year-old US astronaut and his family during the call. Earlier Sunday, Leo visited the Vatican Observatory, which sits on a leafy hilltop near the papal summer home of Castel Gandolfo. Vatican photographs showed the pope looking through a large telescope in the Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world, where planetary scientists mix the study of meteorites with theology. - AFP
International Business Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- International Business Times
Apollo 11 Moon Landing Was Faked? Buzz Aldrin Interview with Conan O'Brien Admitting No One Went to Moon Goes Viral
As the US commemorates the 59th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, resurfaced video clips of Buzz Aldrin have sparked renewed conspiracy theories suggesting the mission was faked. This isn't the first time that questions have been raised about the mission. Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon after Neil Armstrong, has spoken publicly about the historic mission for decades. However, two old interviews have recently gone viral, with some viewers claiming he confessed that the U.S. never actually landed on the moon. These clips, which have gained traction during the anniversary celebrations, are being interpreted by some as Aldrin admitting that the moon landing never happened. Moon landing in Question Again Buzz Aldrin seen in the interview with Conan O'Brien X In a 2000 appearance on "The Conan O'Brien Show", Aldrin left the audience shocked when the host mentioned watching the moon landing as a child. Aldrin abruptly responded, "No, you didn't." "'There wasn't any television, there wasn't anyone taking a picture. You watched an animation." The awkward moment left O'Brien at a loss for words, and the clip has since gone viral, amassing millions of views online. In 2015, Aldrin was again asked by an eight-year-old girl why no one had gone back to the moon. His response was: "Because we didn't go there, and that's the way it happened." Despite the viral speculation, NASA has consistently maintained that the Apollo 11 mission was authentic, supported by telemetry data, lunar rock samples, and the accounts of thousands of engineers and scientists who worked on the program. In a 2000 appearance on 'The Conan O'Brien Show', Aldrin left the audience shocked when the host mentioned watching the moon landing as a child. Aldrin abruptly responded, 'No, you didn't.' X The Apollo 11 mission lifted off at 9:32 a.m. ET on July 16, 1969, from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Aboard the spacecraft were Commander Neil Armstrong, 38, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, 39, and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, also 38, who remained in lunar orbit while Armstrong and Aldrin made their descent to the moon. At 4:17 p.m. ET on July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in the Eagle module. A short time later, Armstrong stepped out and delivered his iconic statement: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Historic Moment in Question The historic event was broadcast globally and viewed by around 600 million people. However, doubts about the authenticity of what was shown have lingered for decades. Skepticism surrounding the moon landing began gaining traction in the mid-1970s, driven by growing public distrust following events like Watergate and the release of the Pentagon Papers. NASA's 1969 Apollo 11 had Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walking on the lunar surface for the first time. Twitter Since then, theories involving staged film sets, lighting anomalies, and questionable interviews have continued to circulate. NASA has consistently denied those conspiracy theories, citing extensive telemetry records, moon rock samples, and the eyewitness accounts of thousands of scientists, engineers, and astronauts as solid evidence that the mission was genuine. However, nearly 60 years later, and with Aldrin's past remarks resurfacing, one of the oldest conspiracy theories in American history persists. Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit which he wore to the historic moon mission Twitter Aldrin's exchange with Conan O'Brien reignited speculation, as conspiracy theorists interpreted his mention of animated footage during the moon landing broadcast as further evidence that the entire mission had been faked. "You watched animation so you associated what you saw with... you heard me talking about, you know, how many feet we're going to the left and right and then I said contact light, engine stopped, a few other things and then Neil said 'Houston, tranquility base'," Aldrin told O'Brien. "'The Eagle has landed.' How about that? Not a bad line." However, Aldrin was actually referring to the animated sequences that TV networks used during their coverage of the moon landing, which were combined with actual footage. In a more recent video from the 2015 National Book Festival, Aldrin is seen being interviewed by a young girl about space exploration. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. flag on the moon When she asks why no one has returned to the moon in such a long time, Aldrin replies, "because we didn't go there, and that's the way it happened." The clip, which has been widely circulated on social media, cuts off before Aldrin explains that the real reason was due to a lack of funding and changing government priorities, which ultimately brought lunar missions to an end. Later, he explained, "We need to know why something stopped in the past if we want it to keep going. It's a matter of resources and money, new missions need new equipment."
