Astronauts Gone Wild
Encyclopedia
Astronauts Gone Wild is a 2004 film made by Bart Sibrel
, an amateur filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee
, United States
who charges that the six Apollo moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s were elaborate hoaxes
. Sibrel made this film, 53 minutes in length, as a follow-up to his 2001 video A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon
, which accuses NASA
of falsifying the Apollo 11
mission photography. He also appeared in the TV special aired on the FOX network in 2001, called "Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?". More recently he has made appearances on radio programs, expounding on his theory and explaining why he believes that the Apollo Moon landings were a hoax. The title of the film is a wordplay
on the Girls Gone Wild
video series.
astronaut
s and asks them to swear an oath on a Bible that they did, in fact, voyage to the moon and back. His first televised encounter is with the Apollo 11 crewmember Buzz Aldrin
. Inside an office room, he shows Dr. Aldrin his "secret" footage, which Sibrel says was sent to him by mistake from NASA. According to Sibrel, this footage shows the crew rigging a shot inside their spacecraft to appear halfway to the Moon, when they were really in Earth orbit
and trying to deceive the world.
Aldrin dismisses Sibrel's arguments, stating "We went to the Moon; we're not misleading anybody." Later in the film, Sibrel confronts Aldrin on another occasion, this time in September 2002 in Beverly Hills, California
. The filmmaker makes his Bible demand. When the ex-astronaut refuses and tries his best to get away from the man, Sibrel follows Aldrin and calls him "a coward and a liar and a thief..." Aldrin then punches (visually described as a right overhand) the man on camera. This incident, which made international headlines at the time, is the best-known response he received from one of the Apollo astronauts about his conspiracy
belief. In a recent radio interview, Sibrel stated that he blames himself for provoking Aldrin to punch him. He claims to have sent Aldrin a letter of apology.
, Gene Cernan and Edgar Mitchell about the Apollo project. Bean, for instance, states that the "all-up" testing of the Saturn V
rocket cut months off the schedule and was an impetus in reaching the moon before decade's end. Cernan describes an experiment on his moon mission, Apollo 17
, that was specifically designed to study the radiation
of the Van Allen Belts. The interviews end with the request to swear an oath on Sibrel's Bible
. He asks them to "swear and affirm, under penalty of eternal damnation, perjury and treason
" that the astronauts really went to the moon. Cernan and Mitchell testify that they did indeed walk on the moon, taking the whole oath as Sibrel states it to them. Alan Bean is also willing to swear on Sibrel's Bible, though Sibrel shows him as unwilling to swear under penalty of treason.
Later, Mitchell had the following to say about his encounter: "Sibrel faked his way into my home with false History Channel credentials for an interview. After about 3-4 minutes, he popped the Bible question. Realizing who he was, I maintained my cool enough to swear on his Bible, then ended the interview and tossed him out of the house, with a boot in his rear."
The other astronauts Sibrel confronts are Michael Collins
, Al Worden, Bill Anders, John Young and Neil Armstrong
. Sibrel did not arrange formal interviews with any of these men, instead accosting them at public events to make his Bible request. For the most part, these astronauts do the best they can to avoid him as soon as they find out that he supports the conspiracy theory. He confronted Armstrong at a meeting of stockholders in New York City. During interviews for the biography, regarding the hoax claims, Armstrong said, "It doesn't bother me. It will all pass in time." The Apollo 11 commander refuses to go along with his demands and states, "Mr. Sibrel, you do not deserve answers." Meanwhile, Worden tells Sibrel that his claims of a falsified mission are "totally nonsense." He says that he has no problem swearing on the Bible of his trip to the Moon
, but that he doesn't feel he needs to do so. Michael Collins pressed his nose onto the surface of the camera lens, leaving an oily smudge on it that spoiled the picture quality a little—then he walked away, telling Sibrel, "I think you're some kind of wacko, I really do."
Bart Sibrel
Bart Winfield Sibrel is a Nashville, Tennessee-based filmmaker who advances the conspiracy theory that the six Apollo Moon landings between 1969 and 1972 were hoaxes. He has filmed two documentaries on the subject: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon and Astronauts Gone Wild.-Dealings...
, an amateur filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who charges that the six Apollo moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s were elaborate hoaxes
Apollo Moon Landing hoax accusations
Different Moon landing conspiracy theories claim that some or all elements of the Apollo program and the associated Moon landings were hoaxes staged by NASA and members of other organizations. Various groups and individuals have made such conspiracy claims since the end of the Apollo program in 1975...
. Sibrel made this film, 53 minutes in length, as a follow-up to his 2001 video A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon is a 2001 documentary written, produced, and directed by Nashville, Tennessee-based filmmaker and investigative journalist Bart Winfield Sibrel. Sibrel is a critic of the United States space program and proponent of the theory that the six Apollo lunar...
, which accuses NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
of falsifying the Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
mission photography. He also appeared in the TV special aired on the FOX network in 2001, called "Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?". More recently he has made appearances on radio programs, expounding on his theory and explaining why he believes that the Apollo Moon landings were a hoax. The title of the film is a wordplay
Wordplay
Wordplay is a musician/actor, of mixed British and Black African descent. Gaining worldwide exposure as an actor in 1998 through the Austrian Obscuro Gothic science fiction film "Dandy dust" directed by Hans Schierl...
on the Girls Gone Wild
Girls Gone Wild
The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...
video series.
Buzz Aldrin
In Astronauts Gone Wild, Mr. Sibrel confronts nine ApolloProject Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s and asks them to swear an oath on a Bible that they did, in fact, voyage to the moon and back. His first televised encounter is with the Apollo 11 crewmember Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
. Inside an office room, he shows Dr. Aldrin his "secret" footage, which Sibrel says was sent to him by mistake from NASA. According to Sibrel, this footage shows the crew rigging a shot inside their spacecraft to appear halfway to the Moon, when they were really in Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
and trying to deceive the world.
Aldrin dismisses Sibrel's arguments, stating "We went to the Moon; we're not misleading anybody." Later in the film, Sibrel confronts Aldrin on another occasion, this time in September 2002 in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. The filmmaker makes his Bible demand. When the ex-astronaut refuses and tries his best to get away from the man, Sibrel follows Aldrin and calls him "a coward and a liar and a thief..." Aldrin then punches (visually described as a right overhand) the man on camera. This incident, which made international headlines at the time, is the best-known response he received from one of the Apollo astronauts about his conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
belief. In a recent radio interview, Sibrel stated that he blames himself for provoking Aldrin to punch him. He claims to have sent Aldrin a letter of apology.
Other astronauts
As shown in the video, Sibrel also was able to interview astronauts Alan BeanAlan Bean
Alan LaVern Bean is a former NASA astronaut, engineer, and painter. Bean was selected to become an astronaut by NASA in 1963 as part of Astronaut Group 3. He made his first flight into space aboard Apollo 12, the second manned mission to land on the Moon, at the age of thirty-seven years in...
, Gene Cernan and Edgar Mitchell about the Apollo project. Bean, for instance, states that the "all-up" testing of the Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket cut months off the schedule and was an impetus in reaching the moon before decade's end. Cernan describes an experiment on his moon mission, Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
, that was specifically designed to study the radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
of the Van Allen Belts. The interviews end with the request to swear an oath on Sibrel's Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. He asks them to "swear and affirm, under penalty of eternal damnation, perjury and treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
" that the astronauts really went to the moon. Cernan and Mitchell testify that they did indeed walk on the moon, taking the whole oath as Sibrel states it to them. Alan Bean is also willing to swear on Sibrel's Bible, though Sibrel shows him as unwilling to swear under penalty of treason.
Later, Mitchell had the following to say about his encounter: "Sibrel faked his way into my home with false History Channel credentials for an interview. After about 3-4 minutes, he popped the Bible question. Realizing who he was, I maintained my cool enough to swear on his Bible, then ended the interview and tossed him out of the house, with a boot in his rear."
The other astronauts Sibrel confronts are Michael Collins
Michael Collins (astronaut)
Michael Collins is a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins...
, Al Worden, Bill Anders, John Young and Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
. Sibrel did not arrange formal interviews with any of these men, instead accosting them at public events to make his Bible request. For the most part, these astronauts do the best they can to avoid him as soon as they find out that he supports the conspiracy theory. He confronted Armstrong at a meeting of stockholders in New York City. During interviews for the biography, regarding the hoax claims, Armstrong said, "It doesn't bother me. It will all pass in time." The Apollo 11 commander refuses to go along with his demands and states, "Mr. Sibrel, you do not deserve answers." Meanwhile, Worden tells Sibrel that his claims of a falsified mission are "totally nonsense." He says that he has no problem swearing on the Bible of his trip to the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, but that he doesn't feel he needs to do so. Michael Collins pressed his nose onto the surface of the camera lens, leaving an oily smudge on it that spoiled the picture quality a little—then he walked away, telling Sibrel, "I think you're some kind of wacko, I really do."
See also
- Moon landing conspiracy theories
- Bill KaysingBill KaysingWilliam Charles Kaysing was a writer best known for claiming that the six Apollo moon landings between July 1969 and December 1972 were hoaxes...
- Ralph RenéRalph ReneRalph René was an American conspiracy theorist, small press publisher and inventor. René was a vocal proponent of the Apollo moon landing hoax theory. René's death was confirmed via a video on AOL. René's last self-published book, on the September 11 attacks, is called World Trade Center Lies and...
- Moon landingMoon landingA moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...