All language subtitles for Truth.Behind.the.Moon.Landing.Series.1.Part.4.Conspiracy.of.the.Lost.Tapes.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup

WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE
TO SEE ANYTHING ON THE MOON.

WHEN BUZZ ALDRIN
SWITCHED ON THE TV CAMERA,

IMAGE QUALITY WAS LOST.

Narrator:
COULD THE DISAPPEARANCE

OF A PRICELESS
MOON-LANDING ARTIFACT...

WHAT HAPPENED
TO THOSE BACKUP TAPES?

...BE PROOF OF A COVER-UP?

SOMETHING'S FISHY, BOYS.

WOW.

WHY CAN'T MODERN TECHNOLOGY
DELIVER BETTER EVIDENCE

OF THE LUNAR LANDER'S PRESENCE
ON THE MOON?

IF THIS IS THERE,
WHY CAN'T WE SEE IT?

THERE'S EVIDENCE
THERE, PROOF.

AND WHAT IMPORTANT DETAIL
IS MISSING

FROM NASA'S OFFICIAL PHOTOS?

WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT
IN ANY OF THE PHOTOS?

WHOA!
HOLD ON.

A FORMER FBI AGENT,
A FORMER AEROSPACE CONSULTANT

AND LEADING CONSPIRACY THEORIST,

AND AN AMERICAN ASTRONAUT
ARE INVESTIGATING...

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Jenkins: WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF ANOTHER MYSTERY.

THIS TIME,
THE CONSPIRACY CLAIMED

THAT THERE'S NO PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE OF A MOON LANDING.

AND IF THERE ISN'T ANY,

THEN THERE'S THE CASE TO BE MADE
THAT WE NEVER WENT.

TO DISPROVE
THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS,

WE NEED TO CLOSELY EXAMINE
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,

THE VIDEOS AND PHOTOS,

TO DETERMINE IF THE MOON
LANDING REALLY HAPPENED.

YEAH, LIKE YOU SAY, YOU KNOW,
LET'S ALWAYS GO

WHERE THE FACTS
TAKE US, RIGHT?

I MEAN, NO EVIDENCE OF A MOON
LANDING, MAYBE NO MOON LANDING.

I THINK IT ALL STARTS
WITH THE FIRST VISUAL EVIDENCE

THAT WE'VE HAD --
THE ACTUAL MOON-LANDING FOOTAGE.

YOU GOT TO REMEMBER THAT,
BACK IN JULY OF 1969,

WE DID NOT ACTUALLY SEE
A LIVE FEED FROM NASA.

WHAT WE ACTUALLY GOT
WAS A COPY.

THE NEWS NETWORKS ACTUALLY SHOT
WHAT THEY SHOWED TO US

IN THEIR OWN NEWSROOMS
OFF OF A FEED FROM NASA,

AND IT RAISES THE QUESTION,
"CAN WE REALLY TRUST IT?"

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
HAVE LONG HAD A PROBLEM

WITH THE JULY 20th BROADCAST.

IT COULD'VE BEEN FAKED.

WELL, WHY DON'T WE GO LOOK
AT THE ORIGINAL TAPES, THEN?

OKAY, GREAT.
WHERE ARE THOSE?

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
WILL HAVE THEM.

NOW, THAT'S
A NATIONAL TREASURE.

THAT VIDEO IS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT OF ALL TIME.

Jenkins: FDR FOUNDED
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
IN 1934

TO DOCUMENT AND PRESERVE
AMERICA'S HISTORICAL RECORDS.

AS OUR COUNTRY CONTINUES
TO GROW,

THE ARCHIVES HAVE EXPANDED

TO MORE THAN
40 FACILITIES NATIONWIDE.

THEY HOUSE EVERYTHING
FROM THE ORIGINAL

SIGNED DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE

AND THE CONSTITUTION
TO THE MOST IMPORTANT FILM,

PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ELECTRONIC
MEDIA IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY.

THAT'S WHERE THE MOON-LANDING
FOOTAGE WILL BE.

AND THE MERE FACT
THAT IT'S THERE PROVES

HOW IMPORTANT THAT FOOTAGE IS.

WE NEED SOMEONE FAMILIAR
WITH THE SOURCE MATERIAL

WE WANT TO SEE,
SO WE REACHED OUT TO JOE HARRIS.

JOE HAS BEEN DOING RESEARCH
AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

AND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES,

MOST OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

SHARPLY FOCUSED
ON NASA-RELATED INFORMATION,

APOLLO 11 IN PARTICULAR.

I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A LOT
OF NASA-RELATED DOCUMENTARIES,

SPECIFICALLY APOLLO 11,

GETTING PREPARED
FOR THE 50th ANNIVERSARY.

WE'RE HOPING JOE
COULD TELL US WHAT HE'S SEEN

ON THE MOON-LANDING TAPES

AND PROVIDE US COPIES
WE CAN GET OUR OWN EYES ON.

SO, HOW MUCH MATERIAL
DID YOU FIND?

LIKE, WHAT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM
NASA TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES?

RIGHT, WELL,
FOR THEIR WHOLE PROGRAM,

YOU'RE TALKING THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS

AND THOUSANDS OF REELS.

Melvin: FROM THE START
OF THE SPACE PROGRAM,

NASA WAS DOCUMENTING
EVERYTHING.

Man: BOOSTER, GO.
RETRO.

THEY FILMED TESTS,
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS,

THE CONSTRUCTION OF EQUIPMENT,

AND EVEN ASTRONAUT
TRAINING PROGRAMS.

Man: TO FLY SPACECRAFT,
PILOTS ARE NEEDED.

HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH
ALL OF THAT?

WELL, NO.

I HAVEN'T HAD ANY MORE
THAN SEVERAL LIFETIMES

TO LOOK THROUGH ALL OF IT,
BUT A LOT OF IT, A LOT OF IT,

AND SPECIFICALLY
FOR APOLLO 11.

Man: DO YOU THINK YOU CAN OPEN
THE HATCH AT THIS PRESSURE?

WE'RE GONNA TRY IT.

OKAY, HOUSTON,
I'M ON THE PORCH.

Jenkins: TO FACILITATE THE
FILMING OF THE APOLLO 11,

THE LUNAR MODULE,
AND THE MOON WALK,

NASA HAD TWO
16-MILLIMETER FILM CAMERAS,

A TELEVISION CAMERA ORBITING
THE MOON IN THE COLUMBIA,

AND A BLACK-AND-WHITE
TV CAMERA

LOCATED OUTSIDE
THE LUNAR MODULE ITSELF

TO TRANSMIT THOSE
FIRST STEPS ON THE MOON.

TWO HASSELBLAD CAMERAS
WERE ABOARD APOLLO 11.

ONE REMAINED INSIDE THE VEHICLE

AND WAS USED FOR INTERIOR
PICTURES OF THE CAPSULE

AND THE PHOTOS SHOT
THROUGH ITS WINDOWS.

THE OTHER HASSELBLAD WAS USED
FOR OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE.

IT WAS HEAVILY MODIFIED TO
SURVIVE THE HARSH LUNAR SURFACE

AND PAINTED SILVER TO HELP
REGULATE ITS TEMPERATURE.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

SO WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO
FIND, REGARDING APOLLO 11?

WELL, I ACTUALLY BROUGHT
A SAMPLE OF SOMETHING

THAT'S FROM THE MISSION
CONTROL ROOM,

AND THEY ZOOM RIGHT IN
TO THE MOON LANDING RIGHT HERE.

♪

-JOE, THAT'S GRAINY.
-IT IS.

BUT IT IS A REAL SPECIAL MOMENT,
AND IT'S ALL WE GOT.

IT'S AWFUL.

-IS THAT A FOOT, CHAD?
-IT IS A FOOT.

IT'S ALSO THE MOON.

ROGER THAT.

IF YOU SAY SO, JOE.

FOOTAGE OF THE MOON
LANDING OBVIOUSLY EXISTS,

BUT IT'S GRAINY
AND LOOKS SECONDHAND.

THE IMAGES ARE INDECIPHERABLE.

OUR INVESTIGATION WILL REQUIRE
THE ORIGINAL BROADCAST FOOTAGE.

THAT'S ALL YOU GOT.

SO, WHAT ABOUT THE ORIGINAL
APOLLO 11 MATERIAL,

THE STUFF THAT BACKED UP
THE BROADCAST?

Harris: YOU MEAN
THE MAGNETIC TAPES.

YEAH.

I'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT PLACE
WITH A FINE-TOOTH COMB,

AND I HAVE NOT FOUND THESE TAPES
THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.

THEY -- THEY DON'T --

THEY DON'T EXIST
AT THE ARCHIVES.

THIS IS GROUND ZERO FOR
A LOT OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

WHEN DOCUMENTS, ARTIFACTS,
OR WITNESSES GO MISSING,

PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW
WHAT'S BEING COVERED UP.

SOMETHING'S FISHY, BOYS.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN
"SOMETHING'S FISHY"?

Jenkins: MIKE HERE IS OUR
IN-HOUSE CONSPIRACY THEORIST.

I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A CERTAIN LOOK, TOO.

HE DOES.

COULD THE APOLLO 11 TAPES
HAVE JUST DISAPPEARED?

IF THEY'RE NOT
IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES,

THEY HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE.

WELL, WHERE DO YOU SUGGEST WE GO
NEXT TO TRY TO FIND THESE TAPES?

APPARENTLY,
THERE'S BEEN A TEAM

SEARCHING FOR THE TAPES
SINCE THE EARLY 2000s.

I WOULD CHECK WITH THEM.

ALRIGHT, WELL, IT SOUNDS
LIKE THAT'S WHERE WE NEED

TO TAKE
THIS INVESTIGATION NEXT.

LET'S DO THIS.

Jenkins: JOE DIRECTED US
TO JOHN SARKISSIAN,

AN OPERATIONS SCIENTIST
FROM THE CSIRO

PARKES RADIO OBSERVATORY
IN AUSTRALIA.

CSIRO IS AUSTRALIA'S
FEDERAL AGENCY

RESPONSIBLE FOR
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,

AND THE PARKES OBSERVATORY

WAS ONE OF THE TRACKING
STATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE

THAT NASA HAD ARRANGED
TO RECEIVE

VIDEO TRANSMISSIONS
FROM THE MOON.

Melvin:
AT THE MOMENT NEIL ARMSTRONG

OPENED THE HATCH
OF THE LUNAR MODULE

AND STEPPED OUT
ONTO THE MOON'S SURFACE,

PARKES WAS
THE TRACKING STATION

WITH THE DIRECT LINE
ON THE APOLLO SIGNAL.

LET ME GO AHEAD
AND RAISE HIM ON THE VIDEO.

HEY, JOHN, IT'S CHAD JENKINS
FROM THE US. HOW ARE YOU?

HEY, I'M HERE WITH LELAND MELVIN
AND MIKE BARA.

HI, JOHN.

COULD YOU TELL US
ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND

AND THE WORK THAT YOU DID
WITH THE SPACE PROGRAM?

Anchorman:
SAID THAT 500 MILLION PEOPLE

GATHERED AT TV SETS
AROUND THE WORLD

TO WAIT FOR THE FIRST EARTHLING
TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

NEVER BEFORE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE
BEEN ATTUNED

TO ONE EVENT AT ONE TIME.

[ ANCHORMAN SPEAKING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

SO, WE UNDERSTAND YOU MIGHT
BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN TO US

HOW THE ORIGINAL
APOLLO 11 BROADCAST

WAS RECEIVED AND STORED.

Man #2: YOU GOT
A GOOD PICTURE, HUH?

Man #3: UH, THERE'S A GREAT DEAL
OF CONTRAST IN IT,

AND CURRENTLY, IT'S UPSIDE
DOWN ON OUR MONITORS,

BUT WE CAN MAKE OUT
A FAIR AMOUNT OF DETAIL.

Jenkins: THE BANDWIDTH NEEDED TO
TRANSMIT VIDEO FROM SPACE

WAS ALREADY BEING UTILIZED
TO SEND VITAL SHIP DATA,

THE APOLLO 11's BEARING,
AND ELECTRONIC STATUS TO EARTH.

THEY COULDN'T TRANSMIT
THE AMOUNT OF DATA

NEEDED FOR A STANDARD TV SIGNAL,

SO THEY NEEDED TO CUT BACK
ON THE DATA

THEY WOULD SEND VIA TV CAMERA.

SO A NEW FORMAT WAS DEVELOPED,
ONE THAT WAS SMALLER AND SLOWER

AND REQUIRED LESS BANDWIDTH.

JUST 320 SCAN LINES
AND ONLY 10 FRAMES PER SECOND.

THAT'S WHY IT LOOKS SO JUMPY.

THAT'S A THIRD OF THE SPEED
OF A CONVENTIONAL TV CAMERA.

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS
FOR CONVERTING THE SIGNAL

SO THAT THE PEOPLE
COULD SEE IT ON TELEVISION?

Bara: SO, THE BEST WAY
TO GET THIS ON TV

WAS LITERALLY TO POINT A CAMERA
AT A MONITOR AND FILM THAT?

THAT'S LIKE PHOTOCOPYING
A PHOTOCOPY OVER AND OVER,

AND WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT LOOKS.

IF THIS WAS THE BEST
TV TECH AMERICA HAD,

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE WE HAD ALL
THE OTHER TECHNOLOGY NECESSARY

TO GET TO THE MOON?

WE'VE HEARD THERE'S BEEN
A BACKUP TAPE

THAT WAS RECORDED
OF THE MOON LANDING, AS WELL.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE TO US
WHAT THAT IS?

Narrator:
THE MISSING MOON-LANDING TAPES.

Bara: WHAT HAPPENED
TO THOSE BACKUP TAPES?

WOW.

♪

WE'VE HEARD THERE'S BEEN
A BACKUP TAPE

THAT WAS RECORDED
OF THE MOON LANDING, AS WELL.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE TO US
WHAT THAT IS?

WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE
BACKUP TAPES?

THAT'S CRAY-CRAY.

WHAT LED YOU TO START HUNTING
DOWN THESE TAPES?

THESE AREN'T JUST
HISTORICAL TREASURES.

THEY'RE ALSO VITAL ARTIFACTS

THAT COULD QUIET CONSPIRACY
THEORISTS LIKE MIKE.

♪

WOW. ERASED?

WHAT THE --

THEY CODED THESE
IMPORTANT TAPES WITH A SYSTEM

THAT LEFT IT UNCLEAR
WHAT WAS EVEN ON THEM.

Jenkins:
HEY, JOHN, THANKS A LOT.

-THANKS, JOHN.
-THANKS, JOHN.

IT WAS KIND OF STRANGE, THOUGH,
THAT HE SAID

THERE'S INTRICATE CODE
ON THESE TAPES.

NO ONE HAD
THE DECODER RING

TO TELL THAT THESE WERE
THE APOLLO TAPES.

YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK
SOMEONE WOULD HAVE WRITTEN

"APOLLO 11, MOON LANDING TAPES,"
BUT, YOU KNOW...

OR PULL THE LITTLE TAB

SO YOU COULDN'T RECORD
OVER THEM, YOU KNOW?

-YEAH.
-I MEAN, IT'S ACTUALLY BAFFLING.

I MEAN, LOOK,
WITHOUT THOSE TAPES,

IS THERE ANY REAL EVIDENCE
THAT WE WENT TO THE MOON IN '69?

Jenkins:
WELL, WE DO HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS.

THE PROBLEM TO MIKE
AND THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

IS THE MOON LANDING PICTURES
WE DO HAVE LOOK FAKE.

THEY WANT TO KNOW, FOR STARTERS,
WHERE ARE THE STARS.

♪

Bara: THE REASON SO MANY
CONSPIRACY THEORIES EXIST

IS BECAUSE THERE ARE
SO MANY ILLOGICAL DETAILS

SURROUNDING THE '69 LANDING.

IT MAKES PEOPLE WONDER.

-YOU HAVE TO JUMP TO CONSPIRACY.
-OF COURSE.

WHAT MIKE KNOWS ABOUT CONSPIRACY
THEORIES IS MORE THAN MADE UP

FOR BY HIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT THE BASICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

SO I'VE TAKEN HIM
TO POUND RIDGE, NEW YORK,

TO MEET WITH AN EXPERT.

♪

STAN HONDA IS
AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE.

HE'S A PHOTOJOURNALIST WHO'S
ASTRONOMY-RELATED PHOTOGRAPHY

HAS BEEN FEATURED
IN DOZENS OF MAGAZINES,

NEWSPAPERS, AND WEBSITES.

HE DID A FIVE-YEAR STINT

PHOTOGRAPHING
THE SPACE-SHUTTLE PROGRAM.

AND NASA'S USED HIS PHOTOGRAPHY
ON THEIR OWN SITES.

WE NEED HIM, USING THE SCIENCE
BEHIND ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY,

TO EXPLAIN TO MIKE
WHY THERE ARE NO STARS VISIBLE

IN THOSE MOON-LANDING PHOTOS.

-HEY, STAN, HOW'S IT GOING?
-LELAND.

-GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
-GOOD TO SEE YOU.

YOU KNOW, HEY, MIKE,
THIS GUY TOOK PICTURES OF ME

WHEN I WAS WALKING TO GO OUT

TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE
IN THE ASTRO VAN.

BOTH MY MISSIONS, RIGHT?
FOR YOUR VERY FIRST FLIGHT.

STS-122.

-122.
-AND 129.

SO YOU COULD PROVE THAT HE
ACTUALLY GOT ON A SPACE SHUTTLE?

HE'S NOT MAKING IT UP.
NO, HE'S NOT MAKING IT UP.

THAT WASN'T
A CONSPIRACY THEORY.

COOL.

I MAY BE THE RESIDENT
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS,

BUT I DON'T DOUBT LELAND'S
SPACE-SHUTTLE MISSIONS.

I'VE SEEN PROOF.

I HAVE EVIDENCE
OF THOSE FLIGHTS.

I RESPECT THAT.

WELL, HEY, THIS GUY,

WE GOT TO CONVINCE HIM
ABOUT SOME THINGS, YOU KNOW?

YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL
PHOTOGRAPHER.

UH-HUH.

AND YOU DO ALL
OF THIS INCREDIBLE WORK,

ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY AT NIGHT.

BUT THERE'S THESE PICTURES
THAT WERE TAKEN OF EARTH

FROM THE MOON.
RIGHT.

AND THESE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE FAKE.

WELL, YOU KNOW,
I THINK IT'S MORE THAN THAT.

THE ISSUE,
FROM THE CONSPIRACY COMMUNITY,

THE WAY PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT THE PHOTOS IS,

A LOT OF THEM
JUST DON'T LOOK RIGHT.

AND KIND OF THE BIGGEST THING
THAT COMES UP

IS THE FACT THAT
THERE'S NO STARS IN THE SKY.

PEOPLE EXPECT TO SEE STARS
AND PLANETS AND GALAXIES

AND MILKY WAY AND THINGS
LIKE THAT, SO EVERYBODY WONDERS,

"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT
IN ANY OF THE PHOTOS?"

YOU JUST GET THIS ABSOLUTE SORT
OF BLACK CURTAIN

OVER THE ASTRONAUTS
AT THE LANDING SITES,

AND THAT'S KIND
OF CONSIDERED VERY SUSPECT.

Bara: IT'S SIMPLE.

IF THEY WERE ON THE MOON,

WHY AREN'T THERE STARS
IN THE PICTURES?

AND, ALSO,
THERE'S THE FACT

THAT ALL THE SORT OF
PRE-PRODUCTION ART

THAT NASA CREATED
FOR THE MISSIONS

THAT THEY WOULD SHOW TO PEOPLE
ALWAYS SHOWED THE STARS

AND THE MILKY WAY
AND EVERYTHING.

THAT PRE-MISSION ARTWORK
HAS CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

DIGGING IN EVEN DEEPER.

IF THE MOON LANDING WAS FAKED
ON A SOUND STAGE,

WHY WOULDN'T NASA
JUST FAKE STARS, TOO?

IT'D BE EASY ENOUGH.

THE EXPLANATION YOU'LL HEAR
IN SOME CIRCLES IS,

ASTRONOMERS WOULD BE ABLE
TO DETECT

THE PARTICULAR CONSTELLATIONS,

WEREN'T WHERE THEY WOULD'VE
BEEN ON THAT DATE.

IT ALL STARTS WITH NASA TRAINING
ASTRONAUTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY.

LELAND, I THINK YOU UNDERWENT
A LOT OF THAT TRAINING.

YEAH, PHOTO --
SOMETHING CALLED PHOTO TV.

AND I KNOW THAT THE APOLLO
ASTRONAUTS HAD MANY,

MANY MONTHS OF TRAINING
TO HAVE THE RIGHT SETTINGS

FOR THOSE HASSELBLAD CAMERAS

THAT WERE TAKING THESE PICTURES
ON THE MOON.

Jenkins: THE APOLLO CREW
UNDERWENT INTENSIVE TRAINING

FOR THE RIGORS AND REQUIREMENTS
OF THEIR SPACE MISSION.

BUT LIKE LELAND AND
THE SPACE-SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS

WOULD DO IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS,
THE MEN OF THE APOLLO MISSION

WERE ALSO TRAINED IN THE USE
OF THE PHOTO EQUIPMENT

THEY WOULD BE TAKING
TO THE MOON.

NASA HAD THESE ASTRONAUTS
SPEND YEARS LEARNING

AND USING THE PARTICULAR CAMERAS
THEY'D HAVE ON THEIR MISSION.

THEY WERE REQUIRED TO RUN
PRACTICE EXERCISES IN PLACES

WHERE THEY COULD TRAIN
WITH THE EQUIPMENT IN FULL GEAR

ON GEOLOGIC TERRAIN THAT
REPLICATED THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WHY DON'T YOU TELL US
A LITTLE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHY

IN THOSE PICTURES WE TAKE
OF THE MOON, OF SPACE,

AND ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY

ON THE EARTH
VERSUS ON THE MOON?

WE GOT A LOT OF STARS
UP IN THE SKY.

I WANT TO SEE HIM PROVE TO ME

THAT ASTRONAUTS COULDN'T CAPTURE
STARS IN THEIR PHOTOS.

♪

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY

ON THE EARTH
VERSUS ON THE MOON?

PROBABLY NOT A WHOLE LOT.

IT'S BRIGHT AND SUNNY
ON THE MOON

WHEN THEY WERE DOING
THEIR MOON WALKS.

I THINK THEY PLANNED IT

SO THAT THE MOON
WOULD BE ON THE LIT SIDE,

'CAUSE ONCE THAT SIDE
OF THE MOON IS IN DARKNESS,

IT'S IN DARKNESS FOR 14 DAYS.

THAT'S THE LUNAR NIGHT,
SO THAT'S A LONG TIME.

THEY HAD BRIGHT SUNLIGHT.

IF YOU LOOKED
AT ALL THE PICTURES,

THERE WERE SHADOWS FROM BOTH THE
ASTRONAUTS, THE LUNAR MODULE.

IT'S THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT
THAT REALLY AFFECT THE EXPOSURE

OF THE FILM
THE ASTRONAUTS WERE USING.

NASA'S OBJECTIVE
WAS TO SHOOT THE MOON,

SO STAN IS USING
THE SAME SETTINGS

THAT THE ASTRONAUTS USED.

SO, THREE THINGS REALLY CONTROL
THE EXPOSURE,

WHAT THE PICTURE
REALLY LOOKS LIKE,

AND IT'S APERTURE,
WHICH IS THE F-STOP IN THE LENS.

HOW BIG THE HOLE IS,
RIGHT?

RIGHT,
HOW BIG OR SMALL.

THE SHUTTER SPEED, WHICH IS
HOW FAST THE SHUTTER GOES,

IF IT GOES QUICK
OR IF IT DOES SLOW,

OF YOU COULD LEAVE IT OPEN
FOR SEVERAL SECONDS SOMETIMES.

FOR A SCENE LIKE THIS,
THE SUN IS SHINING,

WE HAVE A NICE MEADOW HERE,

TREES, BLUE SKY,
AND SOME NICE CLOUDS.

COULDN'T HAVE PICKED
A BETTER DAY, RIGHT?

NO, THIS IS GREAT.
THIS IS A GREAT DAY.

SO THE CAMERA METER TELLS ME

I COULD USE A SHUTTER SPEED
OF 1/500th OF A SECOND...

-MM-HMM.
-...AT F10, WHICH IS ROUGHLY

A DAYTIME EXPOSURE
AT THAT ISO.

SO, I'LL TAKE A COUPLE PICTURES
OF OUR SCENE HERE.

AND SO WE'LL REMEMBER
THAT SETTING,

'CAUSE THIS IS
UNDER BRIGHT SUNLIGHT.

DAYTIME ON THE MOON
IS PROBABLY EVEN BRIGHTER.

AND A LOCATION
WITH A LOT OF LIGHT,

LIKE THE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE
LUNAR SURFACE,

YOU'D USE A FAST SHUTTER SPEED
AND A SMALL APERTURE.

APOLLO ASTRONAUTS
HAD THE CAMERAS

SET TO SHOOT
THE BRIGHTER THING, THE MOON,

AT THE COST OF CAPTURING
THE DARKNESS

AND STARS
THAT SURROUND IT.

I'LL KEEP MY CAMERA AT THIS
SETTING, THE 1/500th AND F10,

AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK
AFTER THE SUN SETS

WHEN WE CAN SEE
SOME STARS IN THE SKY.

AND WE'LL TAKE SOME PICTURES
OF THE EXACT SAME SCENE,

AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN SEE
SOME STARS WITH THIS SETTING.

LET'S DO IT.

STAN'S DEMONSTRATION
OF DAYTIME PHOTOGRAPHY

AND LIGHT REFLECTION
IS HELPFUL.

BUT TO DO A FULL EXAMINATION,

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO
TRY THIS AT NIGHT.

I WANT TO SEE HIM PROVE TO ME

THAT ASTRONAUTS COULDN'T CAPTURE
STARS IN THEIR PHOTOS.

♪

BEAUTIFUL NIGHT.
PERFECT NIGHT.

YEAH, WE GOT A LOT OF STARS
UP IN THE SKY.

GOOD TO SEE THIS.

THE WESTCHESTER ASTRONOMY CLUB
COMES OUT HERE

WITH THEIR TELESCOPES
TO LOOK AT STARS,

FAINT THINGS THAT WE CAN'T
SEE BACK IN NEW YORK CITY.

THE CAMERA IS STILL SET AT
THE SAME SETTING

THAT WE TOOK THE PICTURE
DURING THE DAYTIME.

DAYLIGHT EXPOSURE,
SMALL APERTURE,

A FAST SHUTTER SPEED,
AND A LOW ISO.

I'LL GO AHEAD
AND TAKE A PICTURE.

OKAY.
ALL RIGHT.

UNDER DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS,

STAN USED THE SMALL APERTURE
AND FAST SHUTTER SPEED.

NOW, AT NIGHT, LELAND AND MIKE
CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN THOSE VERY SAME SETTINGS
ARE USED AGAIN.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE,
THERE'S NOTHING THERE.

YEAH, IT'S PITCH BLACK.

AND SO, THIS EXPOSURE
WOULD NOT BE ABLE

TO EXPOSE
FOR THE FAINT STARLIGHT.

SIMULATING THE CAMERA SETTINGS

USED BY THE APOLLO 11
ASTRONAUTS,

WE SEE THAT
THE RELATIVELY DIM STARS

DON'T GENERATE NEARLY ENOUGH
LIGHT TO BE EXPOSED TO FILM.

OKAY.

SO, THE TRUTH IS, THOUGH,
IS THAT ON THE MOON,

YOU ARE GONNA HAVE
A BUNCH OF BRIGHT SUNLIGHT

SATURATING THE FOREGROUND,

SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE
THE STUFF IN THE FOREGROUND.

RIGHT.

HOW ACCURATE IS THAT
IN COMPARISON TO THIS TEST?

IT'S A PRETTY GOOD COMPARISON
BECAUSE THE ASTRONAUTS,

WHETHER THEY WERE
PHOTOGRAPHING ANOTHER ASTRONAUT

OR A ROCK FORMATION
AND THEN THEY GOT THE SKY IN

OR IF THEY JUST POINTED
THE CAMERA AT THE SKY,

IT WOULD STILL BE
AT THAT SAME DAYLIGHT SETTING.

AND SO THE SKY, WHETHER IT
FILLED THE WHOLE PICTURE

OR IF IT JUST FILLED
PART OF THE PICTURE,

IT WOULD LOOK THE SAME.

IT WOULD BE BLACK,
NO DETAIL, NO STARS.

YEAH, OKAY.

SO, I DO A LOT
OF NIGHT-SKY PHOTOGRAPHY,

AND SO, AT NIGHT, OF COURSE,
THE SETTINGS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT

BECAUSE THE STARS THEMSELVES
ARE VERY, VERY FAINT.

SO I'LL SET UP THE CAMERA,
AND WHAT I DO IS INCREASE

THE APERTURES,
SLOW DOWN THE SHUTTER.

I DO A 15-SECOND
OR LONGER EXPOSURES.

SO, WE HAD 1/500th OF
A SECOND SHUTTER SPEED BEFORE.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO 15 SECONDS,

WHICH IS A MUCH,
MUCH LONGER SHUTTER SPEED.

YEAH.

Jenkins: LIKE YOUR OWN EYES,

THE APERTURE SETTING ON
THE ASTRONAUTS' CAMERAS

COULDN'T ADJUST TO THE
BRIGHTNESS OF THE LUNAR SURFACE

AND THE DIMMER STARLIGHT
AT THE SAME TIME.

WHEN YOU'RE AT A CONCERT
AND THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY BEAM

IN YOUR EYES,
WHAT HAPPENS?

YOU CAN'T SEE THE PERFORMERS
ON THE STAGE.

THIS IS THAT SAME PRINCIPLE.

SO, I'LL KEEP IT
AT THE SAME SCENE.

THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE
FOREGROUND IN THE PICTURE,

WHICH WILL PROBABLY SHOW UP
MAINLY AS A SILHOUETTE.

AND THEN, THE SKY ABOVE IT
WITH THE STARS.

SO WE'LL DO...

A 15-SECOND EXPOSURE.

SO, THE CAMERA IS COLLECTING
THE FAINT LIGHT FROM THE STARS.

FOR 15 SECONDS.
FOR 15 SECONDS.

YOU NEED THAT LONG TIME.

IF WE USE THIS SETTING
DURING THE DAYTIME

WHILE THE SUN WAS UP,

YOUR PICTURE WILL PROBABLY
JUST BE PURE WHITE.

THERE'LL BE NOTHING THERE.

AND JUST TO PROVE HIS POINT HE
OPENS HIS SHUTTER FOR 15 SECONDS

USING NIGHT SETTINGS
AND WE GET STARS IN THE SHOT.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK
AT THE PICTURE HERE.

AND YOU CAN SEE THE STARS.

-WOW.
-YEAH, WOW.

Melvin: LOOK AT THAT.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE STAN,
WITH HIS EXPERTISE,

HAS NOW SATISFIED
YOUR CRAZY LITTLE THEORIES?

MY CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORIES?
YEAH.

WELL, I MEAN,
I WILL SAY THIS, STAN --

I THINK YOU'VE DEMONSTRATED
THAT IT'S REALLY HARD

TO GET A BACKGROUND PICTURE
OF THE STARS

UNLESS YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY
SET TO DO THAT.

DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE ASTRONAUTS
WERE DOING THAT.

I WOULD HAVE TO SAY,
AT THIS POINT,

THAT WE HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION
FOR WHY THERE'S NO STARS

AT ALL IN THE PICTURES
TAKEN FROM THE MOON.

IT'S SCIENCE.
WE SOLVED THIS WITH SCIENCE.

YEAH, WITH HIS SCIENCE,
NOT YOUR SCIENCE.

IT'S NOT MY SCIENCE,
BUT IT'S SCIENCE.

THERE'S NO CONSPIRACY HERE.

THAT'S A POINT FOR LELAND,
I GUESS.

Narrator:
CAN MASSIVE TELESCOPES BE
THE KEY TO FINDING EVIDENCE

THAT PROVES WE WERE
ON THE MOON IN 1969?

THIS IS THE BEST IMAGE
OF THE MOON.

THE LUNAR LANDER WOULD OCCUPY
A SINGLE PIXEL.

ONE PIXEL.

♪

IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN JUST
A LESSON IN PHOTOGRAPHY

TO CONVINCE ME WE LANDED
ON THE MOON IN '69.

LIKE, ALL THE GEAR
THE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS

SUPPOSEDLY LEFT BEHIND.

WHY HAVE WE NEVER SEEN
PHOTOS OF THAT?

THERE ARE MATERIALS
AND EQUIPMENT,

INCLUDING THE ENTIRE
LUNAR DESCENT STAGE,

WHICH WE SUPPOSEDLY LEFT
ON THE MOON IN '69.

THAT LDS IS 14 FEET ACROSS.

THAT'S BIGGER THAN A CARGO VAN.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT PHOTOS
OF THAT PART OF THE MOON,

YOU DON'T SEE IT.
WHY NOT?

Melvin:
WE NEED TO FIND A TELESCOPE

THAT CAN GET US EYES
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

IF WE CAN SPOT
THAT DESCENT STAGE

OR ANY OTHER REFLECTIVE
MATERIALS LEFT BEHIND,

WE CAN PROVE A LOT
OF THE HOAXERS WRONG.

THE BIGGEST TELESCOPE I KNOW
IS RIGHT HERE IN DC

AT THE UNITED STATES
NAVAL OBSERVATORY.

IN OPERATION SINCE 1830,

THE OBSERVATORY MINES
ASTRONOMICAL DATA

FOR POSITIONING, NAVIGATION,
AND TIMING CRITICAL

TO NAVAL
AND DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ASSETS.

EVERY VICE PRESIDENT SINCE 1977
HAS LIVED IN A HOUSE

AT THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY,

BUT WE'RE HERE
TO VISIT ANOTHER RESIDENT,

ONE OF THE LARGEST REFRACTING
TELESCOPES IN THE WORLD.

YOU KNOW, FOR AN ARMY GUY,
I GOT TO GIVE THE NAVY CREDIT.

THIS NAVAL OBSERVATORY
IS PRETTY COOL.

♪

-GEOFF?
-THAT'S ME.

HEY. HOW YOU DOING?
I'M LELAND.

HI, LELAND.
NICE TO MEET YOU.

-HEY, GEOFF.
-NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU,
AS WELL.

GREAT TO SEE THIS.

ISN'T THIS A WONDERFUL
INSTRUMENT?

YEAH.

WE'RE MEETING WITH
GEOFF CHESTER,

AN ASTRONOMER WHO'S BEEN
WITH THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY

FOR 22 YEARS.

THIS IS OUR 12-INCH ALVIN CLARK
GEORGE SAEGMULLER REFRACTOR.

YOU GET GREAT VIEWS OF THE MOON
AND THE PLANETS WITH THIS.

LET'S START WITH THE BASICS.
LET'S CHECK IT OUT.

-ALRIGHT.
-LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE.

WOW.
LOOK AT THAT.

THE NIGHT SKY.

SO, WE'RE GONNA ALIGN
THE TELESCOPE AND THE SLOT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

YEAH, THE MOON, FORTUNATELY,
IS A PRETTY EASY TARGET TO HIT,

AT LEAST
WITH A TELESCOPE.

THE APOLLO 11 LANDING SITE
IS ACTUALLY IN THE CENTER

OF THE FIELD OF VIEW HERE.

SO THAT'S
THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY?

THAT'S THE SEA
OF TRANQUILITY.

Man #4: YOU'RE LOOKING GOOD
GOING OVER THE HILL.

IT'S CALLED A SEA
BECAUSE EARLY ASTRONOMERS

SAW LARGE DARKER AREAS
LIKE THIS ON THE MOON.

THEY MISTOOK THEM
FOR BODIES OF WATER.

Man #5:
WE ARE GO FOR LANDING, OVER.

Melvin:THE ACTUAL LANDING SITE
OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE

IS NOW REFERRED
TO AS TRANQUILITY BASE.

Man #6: CONTACT LIGHT.

OKAY, ENGINES STOP.

HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE.

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.

Chester: SO, KEEP IN MIND
THAT THE SMALLER CRATERS

THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT,
THE SORT OF POCK-MARK,

THE SO-CALLED LUNAR SEAS,
ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY BIG.

THEY'RE ON THE ORDER
OF 5 TO 10 MILES,

THE SMALLEST ONES
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

THE BIGGER ONES CAN BE UP
TO 100 MILES.

IS THERE A WAY TO GET THIS
ZOOMED IN EVEN MORE?

YEAH.

WE'LL PUT ANOTHER EYEPIECE IN
AND GET YOU A LITTLE CLOSER.

SO, WHAT MAGNIFICATION
IS THIS?

Chester:
WE ARE LOOKING NOW WITH A
MAGNIFICATION OF ABOUT 90 POWER.

NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT YOU'LL NOTICE

IS THAT IT'S KIND OF WAVY.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE LOOKING
AT SOMETHING

THAT'S AT THE BOTTOM
OF A SWIMMING POOL.

Melvin:
LITTLE ATMOSPHERE.

THAT'S DUE TO TURBULENCE
IN OUR ATMOSPHERE.

CHAD AND LELAND ARE FINDING
THE TELESCOPE LARGE ENOUGH

TO SEARCH THE MOON'S SURFACE
FOR REMNANTS OF APOLLO 11.

EVEN IF THEY FIND
THE RIGHT TELESCOPE,

I THINK IT'S A DEAD END.

YOU CAN'T SEE SOMETHING
THAT ISN'T THERE.

SO, GEOFF, WHAT DISTANCE
ARE WE LOOKING AT NOW?

Chester: RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE
LOOKING AT ABOUT 600 MILES.

600 MILES.

YEAH.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND
THAT THE MOON

IS A LONG WAY AWAY.

YOU'RE LOOKING ACROSS ALMOST
240,000 MILES OF EMPTY SPACE.

Jenkins: THE FIELD OF VISION
IS 600 MILES.

THIS IS LIKE LOOKING AT
A SATELLITE PICTURE

OF ALL OF NEW ENGLAND
AND TRYING TO SPOT AN SUV.

THERE'S NO WAY WE'D SEE A LUNAR
LANDER THAT'S 14 FEET WIDE.

SO, THIS IS AS CLOSE
A DETAIL AS WE CAN GET.

Chester: THAT'S ABOUT AS GOOD
AS WE'RE GONNA GET.

SO, NO LUNAR LANDER UP THERE,
NO AMERICAN FLAG,

THAT I'M GONNA BE ABLE
TO SEE WITH THIS.

NOT THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE
TO SEE WITH THIS.

ALL RIGHT.

THE TELESCOPE AT THE NAVAL
OBSERVATORY IS ENORMOUS.

AND YET WE STILL CAN'T SEE
THE LANDER

AND MATERIALS
LEFT ON THE MOON.

YOU KNOW,
I WAS REALLY SURPRISED

THAT THE TELESCOPE
AT THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY

CAN'T SEE ANY TRACES
OF THE MOON-LANDING SITES.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA NEED
A MUCH BIGGER TELESCOPE.

YEAH, RIGHT.

AND SO I FOUND ASTRONOMER
ALYCIA WEINBERGER HERE IN DC,

AND SHE ACTUALLY
USES THE HUBBLE.

-CLEAR THE PIN.
-CLEAR THE PIN.
MODE SWITCH IS IN OFF.

Jenkins:
ON APRIL 24, 1990, THE SPACE
SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SUCCESSFULLY

LAUNCHED THE HUBBLE
TELESCOPE INTO ORBIT.

OH, BABY, LOOK AT THAT.

Man #8:
HUBBLE ISN'T JUST A SATELLITE.

IT'S ABOUT HUMANITY'S
QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE.

Jenkins: THE HUBBLE WAS THE
FIRST MAJOR TELESCOPE

TO BE PLACED IN SPACE

ABOVE THE DISTORTION
OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

WEATHER,
AND LIGHT POLLUTION.

WITH AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW
OF THE UNIVERSE,

SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO USE THE HUBBLE

TO OBSERVE THE MOST
DISTANT STARS, GALAXIES,

AND PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT HAS EVEN VIEWED LOCATIONS

MORE THAN 13 BILLION
LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

WHAT THE HUBBLE CAN DO
HAS BEEN COMPARED

TO STANDING IN WASHINGTON, DC,
AND SEEING A FIREFLY IN TOKYO.

SO IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO REVEAL
OBJECTS ON THE MOON,

BUT WILL IT?

Jenkins:
ALYCIA IS AN ASTROPHYSICIST

AT THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION
FOR SCIENCE

WHOSE RESEARCH WORK UTILIZES
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

TO OBSERVE
AND STUDY DISTANT GALAXIES.

SOMETHING AS CLOSE AS THE MOON
SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM.

WE'RE HOPING SHE CAN HELP US
SEE THE APOLLO GEAR

THE ASTRONAUTS LEFT
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

-ALYCIA.
-HI.

HOW ARE YOU?
I'M CHAD.

NICE TO MEET YOU.
YEAH, NICE TO MEET YOU.

HI.
VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO.

YEAH, SO WE'RE LOOKING
AT A NUMBER OF MYSTERIES

INVOLVING THE ORIGINAL
MOON LANDING.

AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT

AND SEEING
IF YOU COULD HELP US ON

IS THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE
APOLLO 11 LANDING ON THE MOON.

IT'S VERY HARD TO SEE
THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL

ON AN ORDINARY PICTURE
OF THE MOON

THAT YOU WOULD TAKE
FROM THE GROUND.

WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK
AT AN IMAGE OF THE MOON

AND SEE ROUGHLY
WHERE IT IS.

OKAY.
LET'S DO IT.

HERE WE HAVE
THAT TRANQUILITY AREA.

THAT'S THE SEA
OF TRANQUILITY?

THAT'S THE SEA
OF TRANQUILITY.

SO THAT'S ABOUT 876 KILOMETERS
ACROSS OR 550 MILES.

THE LANDER WAS
A FEW METERS ACROSS,

SO IT'S ABOUT
300,000 TIMES SMALLER

THAN THE SIZE
OF THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY.

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE.
IT WAS TAKEN FROM THE GROUND.

WHAT LIMITS OUR ABILITY
TO SEE DETAIL

IS THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

WHICH BLURS EVERYTHING
THAT WE LOOK AT.

YOU COULD TRY TO GO ABOVE
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE BUILT
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

HST, RIGHT.
RIGHT.

NOW, THE HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE

WAS NOT MEANT
TO LOOK AT THE MOON.

NORMALLY, THE HUBBLE WOULD
USE STARS TO KEEP IT LINED UP

EXACTLY WHERE
IT WANTS TO POINT.

WELL, IT CAN'T FIND ANY STARS
BECAUSE THE MOON FILLS

THE ENTIRE FIELD OF VIEW
OF THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE,

SO IT CAN'T STARE
AT ONE SPOT VERY EASILY

WITHOUT DRIFTING
ACROSS THE MOON,

BUT IT CAN TAKE FAST IMAGES.

AND THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

IS STILL
A MODEST-SIZED TELESCOPE,

SO IT'S 2 1/2 METERS ACROSS.

SO YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO DO
A LITTLE BIT BETTER

WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
BUT STILL,

WHILE THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY
WOULD LOOK VERY BIG

TO THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE,

THE FEW METERS ACROSS
THAT THE LUNAR LANDER

WAS WOULD OCCUPY
A SINGLE PIXEL...

OH, MY GOODNESS.

...ON THE BEST IMAGE
THAT THE HUBBLE

SPACE TELESCOPE COULD TAKE.

-ONE PIXEL.
-YES.

MUCH SMALLER, IN FACT,
THAN ONE PIXEL.

WHAT ABOUT
THE AMERICAN FLAG?

I WANT TO SEE AMERICA,
OLD GLORY.

AND HOW BIG WAS
THE AMERICAN FLAG

COMPARED TO THE LUNAR LANDER?

3 FEET.
IT WAS ABOUT 3 FEET.

-SO, STILL NO EVIDENCE.
-NO EVIDENCE FROM HERE.

DO YOU THINK IT'S THERE?
I DO THINK IT'S THERE,

BUT WE CAN'T TAKE
A PICTURE OF IT FROM HERE.

UH-HUH.

Jenkins: WELL, THE INVESTIGATION
MUST GO ON.

WE'LL HAVE TO REFOCUS
OUR INVESTIGATION

IF WE WANT TO SEE
THE MATERIALS LEFT ON THE MOON.

Bara: WE HAVE THIS
VERY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

WE HAVE THE HUBBLE SPACE
TELESCOPE,

AND YET NOBODY CAN GET
A GOOD, CLEAR PICTURE

OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS LEFT
BEHIND BY THE APOLLO MISSION.

IT'S ALL A MATTER
OF LENSES AND MIRRORS.

♪

Jenkins: SO, NO MATTER WHAT
TELESCOPES WE VISITED,

WE STILL CAN'T SEE EVIDENCE
OF ANYTHING LEFT BEHIND

FROM THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING.

THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH CLARITY.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT FUELS

THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS, TOO.

IT MAKES THEM SAY, "IF THIS
IS THERE, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT?"

THE PROBLEM IS, CHAD AND LELAND
WENT TO PEOPLE WHO WORK

FOR THE GOVERNMENT
OR THE SPACE PROGRAM.

I'M TAKING THEM TO AN
INDEPENDENT, SOMEONE I KNOW

AND TRUST WHO WON'T JUST REPEAT
EMPTY CLAIMS AND HALF-TRUTHS.

HE CAN EXPLAIN WHY OR WHY NOT
IN REGARD

TO SEEING NASA MATERIALS
ON THE MOON.

HEY, LOOK,
WE GOT SOME COMPANY.

-THERE HE IS.
-HEY, GUYS. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

I'M ALEX.
-I'M MIKE.

ALEX, I'M LELAND.

MIKE HAS BROUGHT US
TO SAN FRANCISCO

TO MEET WITH ALEX FILIPPENKO.

ALEX IS AN ASTROPHYSICIST
AT UC, BERKELEY,

WHO'S FREQUENTLY USED THE HUBBLE

AND THE KECK TELESCOPE
IN HAWAII,

ONE OF THE LARGEST ASTRONOMICAL
TELESCOPES IN THE WORLD.

WE'RE HOPING HE CAN
INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY OR DENY

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT
IS CLAIMING,

THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO VIEW THE EQUIPMENT

THAT WAS LEFT
NEAR TRANQUILITY.

ALEX, HOW YOU DOING?
PRETTY WELL.

IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
OUT HERE.

YOU DON'T GO TO THE GOVERNMENT
TO TELL YOU

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT'S DONE.

WE'RE FINALLY GETTING INFO
FROM AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE.

I KNOW ALEX WON'T FEED US
MORE CLAPTRAP AND COVER-UPS.

SO, I KNOW
YOU'RE USUALLY STUDYING

DISTANT GALAXIES
AND SPACE.

BILLIONS
OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH A LITTLE
BIT CLOSER FRIEND OF OURS,

THE MOON.
SURE.

YEAH,
THAT'S IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD --

YOU KNOW, 240,000 MILES --

BUT STILL PRETTY FAR
TO SEE DETAILS.

I GUESS OUR BIGGEST QUESTION
IS THE ACCUSATION THAT,

BECAUSE WE HAD
THESE LARGE TELESCOPES HERE

BUT WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO SEE
ANYTHING ON THE MOON WITH THEM.

YEAH, THE CLAIM IS, WE HAVE
THIS VERY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY,

WE HAVE
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE,

WE'VE GOT
THE JWST TELESCOPE,

WE'VE GOT ALL THESE
OTHER INSTRUMENTS,

AND YET NOBODY CAN GET
A GOOD, CLEAR PICTURE

OF THE ACTUAL EQUIPMENT

THAT WAS LEFT BEHIND
BY THE APOLLO MISSION.

IT'S ALL A MATTER
OF LENSES AND MIRRORS.

THESE TELESCOPES
CAN SEE PRETTY CLEARLY,

BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE
YOU'RE AT THE EYE DOCTOR

AND YOU'RE ASKED TO LOOK
AT THE ROWS OF LETTERS,

AND THE BOTTOM ROW
IS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE OUT.

THE LETTERS BECOME TOO FUZZY
FOR YOU TO DISTINGUISH

BECAUSE ALL LENSES,
INCLUDING THOSE IN YOUR EYES

OR TELESCOPES,
HAVE LIMITATIONS.

WITHOUT HAVING
A SUPER-HUGE LENS OR MIRROR,

YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE
TO SEE TINY DETAILS.

YOU'D NEED TO HAVE
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

WITH ITS 8-FOOT-DIAMETER MIRROR
WITHIN 14,000 MILES OF THE MOON

TO JUST SEE
THE LANDER AS A SPEC.

Jenkins:
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IS
ONLY 353 MILES AWAY FROM EARTH,

SO IT'S STILL ALMOST A QUARTER
OF A MILLION MILES

AWAY FROM THE MOON,

NOT THE LESS THAN 14,000 MILES
ALEX SAYS IT NEEDS TO BE,

TO BEGIN SHOWING ANYTHING
THE SIZE OF THE LUNAR LANDER.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY HERE IS THAT,
EVEN WITH TODAY'S

BEST TELESCOPES, THE HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE ORBITING

ABOVE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
AND HAVING A VERY CLEAR VIEW

OR THE 10-METER KECK
TELESCOPES IN HAWAII,

WHICH HAVE REALLY GREAT CLARITY,

THOSE TELESCOPES
CANNOT SEE THE KINDS OF DETAIL

THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY

TO DISTINGUISH THE LANDER
ON THE MOON.

WE CAN SEE CRATERS ON THE MOON,

BUT CRATERS ARE
DOZENS OF MILES ACROSS.

THE LANDER IS ABOUT THE SIZE
OF AN SUV.

WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET.

YOU'D NEED A TELESCOPE
PERHAPS 50 YARDS IN DIAMETER

TO SEE THE LANDER,
AND EVEN THEN,

YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE ANY REAL
DETAILS, LIKE ITS SHAPE.

WITH NO EARTH-BASED
OR SATELLITE-BASED TELESCOPES

CAPABLE OF THE DETAIL NECESSARY
TO SHOW EQUIPMENT ON THE MOON,

I REMAIN CONVINCED THAT THERE'S
NO APOLLO 11 MODULE ON THE MOON

AND HOLDING FIRM THAT
THE '69 LANDING DIDN'T HAPPEN.

ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T SEEN
THE APOLLO LANDER

USING ANY TELESCOPES
HERE ON EARTH,

THERE ARE
LUNAR-ORBITING TELESCOPES

THAT HAVE SEEN THE LANDER.

YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PICTURES,
AND THERE IT IS.

ALEX LEFT US WITH
A GREAT PIECE OF ADVICE,

TO MOVE PAST TELESCOPIC DATA
AND INVESTIGATE THE ORBITER

AND THE FINDINGS
FOR ONE OF THE MOST

TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
CAMERAS IN SPACE.

WE'LL BE SHIFTING OUR FOCUS
TO INVESTIGATING IMAGES OF SPACE

THAT COMES FROM SPACE.

Narrator:
CAN SATELLITE IMAGES PROVIDE
PROOF OF THE MOON LANDING.

THERE'S EVIDENCE THERE.

Bara: LOOKS LIKE EVIDENCE
OF A BOULDER TO ME.

WHOA!

CAMERA.
-HOLD ON.

♪

WHAT A STRANGE TRIP
THIS ONE'S BEEN.

WE WENT TO OBSERVATORIES,
WE LOOKED THROUGH TELESCOPES,

WE TALKED TO ASTRONOMERS,
TALKED TO ASTROPHYSICISTS,

LEARNED THAT THE MOON LANDING
TAPES ARE MISSING,

AND WHY THERE ARE NO STARS
IN THE MOON PHOTOGRAPHY.

STILL NO CLEAR EVIDENCE
OF THE MOON LANDING.

POINT FOR ME.

YEAH,
BUT IN SAN FRANCISCO,

WE REALIZED THAT THERE'S
NO TELESCOPE ON EARTH

THAT CAN SEE
THE APOLLO SITES.

THEY'RE JUST TOO SMALL.

Jenkins: IT'S TIME TO SHIFT
OUR FOCUS FROM TELESCOPES

TO THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY
ADVANCED CAMERAS

WE'VE GOT IN SPACE.

THE LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE
ORBITER,

OR LRO,
IS A ROBOTIC SPACECRAFT

NASA LAUNCHED ABOARD
AN ATLAS V ROCKET IN 2009.

Man #9: AND LIFTOFF OF THE
ATLAS V ROCKET WITH LRO LCROSS.

THE INITIAL EXPLORATION PHASE
OF ITS MISSION

TO IMAGE BACK THE MOON,

SEARCHING OUT SAFE,
HIGH-VALUE TERRAIN

FOR FUTURE LANDINGS
LASTED A YEAR.

SINCE THEN,
THE LRO HAS TRANSITIONED

TO ITS SCIENCE PHASE --

GATHERING DATA TO HELP NASA
EVEN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MOON.

ITS INSTRUMENT PANEL DOWNLINKS

ROUGHLY 460 GIGABYTES
OF DATA PER DAY,

DELIVERED TO NASA'S
OWN PLANETARY DATA SYSTEM.

♪

THE CRAFT HAS A SYSTEM
OF THREE HIGH-RESOLUTION CAMERAS

MOUNTED TO IT,
TWO NARROW-ANGLE CAMERAS

THAT CAN PROVIDE IMAGES

COVERING ABOUT A 3-MILE SWATH
AND A WIDE-ANGLE CAMERA

PROVIDING COVERAGE
OF MORE THAN 37 MILES.

SINCE THE LRO IS ORBITING
JUST A FEW DOZEN MILES

OVER THE LUNAR SURFACE,

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
IT SENDS BACK

WOULD BE VASTLY MORE DETAILED

THAN ANY TELESCOPIC IMAGE
WE'VE SEEN.

THE LRO HAS PROVIDED
NASA SCIENTISTS

WITH SCORES
OF NEW DISCOVERIES,

INCLUDING SUBSURFACE
HYDROGEN DEPOSITS

IN REGIONS COLD ENOUGH
FOR ICE TO SURVIVE.

THE FIRST DIRECT EVIDENCE
OF THE PRESENCE

OF HIGHLY SILICIC
VOLCANIC MOON ROCKS

AND THE FIRST-EVER
RADAR MEASUREMENTS

OF THE MOON'S FAR SIDE.

THE LUNAR ORBITER PROGRAM BEGAN
WITH FIVE SUCCESSFUL

UNMANNED LUNAR ORBIT
MISSIONS IN 1966 THROUGH 1967.

THEY WERE OUTFITTED WITH
MORE THAN JUST THE CAMERAS

NECESSARY FOR IMAGING.

THEY WERE SELF-CONTAINED
FLOATING ROBOTIC PHOTO LABS.

THE 70-MILLIMETER FILM
COULD BE PROCESSED

AND SCANNED BY THE ORBITER

BEFORE IT WOULD BEAM
THE IMAGES BACK TO EARTH.

IN ADDITION TO MOON PHOTOGRAPHY,
ORBITERS ON THOSE 1960s MISSIONS

PROVIDED SOME OF
THE FIRST-EVER IMAGES

OF THE WHOLE EARTH FROM SPACE.

LET'S GO LOOK AT THE RESULTS.

EXCUSE ME IF I'M SKEPTICAL.

OH, LOOK.

THERE'S EVIDENCE THERE,
PROOF THAT THE APOLLO

LANDING SITE
FROM THIS LRO IMAGE.

LOOKS LIKE EVIDENCE OF
A BOULDER TO ME, ACTUALLY.

ALRIGHT,
LET'S KEEP LOOKING.

AT FIRST GLANCE,
YES, THESE PHOTOS

ARE FAR MORE DETAILED
THAN ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN BEFORE,

BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

COULD BE A BOULDER,
COULD BE A SHADOW,

COULD BE DUST ON THE LENS.

LELAND'S POINTING AT THINGS

AND JUST HOPING THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING THERE.

ALRIGHT,
LET'S KEEP LOOKING.

-WHOA.
-CAMERA.

HOLD ON.

LUNAR MODULE,
LOOK AT THAT.

THE LUNAR MODULE RIGHT THERE.

THEY'RE IN TRACKS THERE.

LUNAR ROVER TRACKS.

FOR THE FIRST TIME...
COME ON.

LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE WE --
STATION 11.

EAGLE DESCENT STAGE.

LOOK AT THAT,
RIGHT THERE.

YOU STILL DON'T BELIEVE?

OKAY, NOW, THAT --
LOOK AT THAT -- THE FLAG.

YEAH.
THERE ARE TRACKS THERE.

THAT'S CLEARLY MANMADE.

AND LOOK -- LOOK AT THE OUTLINE
OF THE LUNAR.

THAT'S THE DESCENT STAGE.

YEAH, THE DESCENT STAGE.

Jenkins: NOW WE'RE STARTING
TO SEE SOME EVIDENCE,

PROOF OF THE APOLLO 11 LANDING.

THE LRO IMAGES DEFINITELY
SHOWED THE OBJECTS

WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.

WE CAN EVEN SEE THE SHADOWS
THAT THEY CAST.

"A," FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN THIS INVESTIGATION,

WE HAVE VERIFIABLE
PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF

OF MAN'S PRESENCE
ON THE MOON.

YEAH.
OKAY, I'LL --

I'LL ADMIT YOU GUYS
GOT ME ON THIS ONE,

BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FACT

THAT NASA DID GET
TO THE MOON EVENTUALLY.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT APOLLO 11
WAS A LEGITIMATE LANDING.

THE LRO PHOTOS ONLY PROVED
THAT WE'VE BEEN TO THE MOON,

BUT THEY DON'T PROVE THAT THOSE
ARE REMNANTS OF A 1969 LANDING,

THAT THE US WAS READY
TO GET THERE BY JFK's DEADLINE.

WHAT WE'VE GOT IS,
WE'VE GOT NO VISUAL EVIDENCE,

NO VIDEO LEFT OF APOLLO 11

THAT PROVES THAT WE ACTUALLY
WENT WAY BACK IN 1969

BECAUSE WE SIMPLY WEREN'T READY
TO GO TO THE MOON YET.

WE'RE OBTAINING SOLID, FACTUAL
EVIDENCE OF THE '69 LANDING,

AND MIKE STILL REFUSES
TO FACE REALITY.

WE HAVE TO CURE HIM
OF HIS SKEPTICISM.

Jenkins:
OUR INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE.

♪