Question 1

True or false: The moon landing was faked because the footage shows a flag waving when there's no wind.

Accepted Answer

False. The flag was held out by a horizontal rod. The 'waving' was caused by the astronauts twisting the pole as they planted it.

Question 2

True or false: Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon were scripted by NASA's public relations team.

Accepted Answer

False. Armstrong claimed he improvised the line after landing. He later said he meant 'for a man' but the 'a' was lost in transmission.

Question 3

True or false: Buzz Aldrin took the first official photo on the moon, not Neil Armstrong.

Accepted Answer

False. Armstrong carried the first camera and took the initial photos, including the iconic shot of Aldrin stepping onto the surface.

Question 4

True or false: The American flag placed on the moon by Apollo 11 has likely been bleached white by now.

Accepted Answer

True. Over 50 years of unfiltered sunlight and radiation would have faded the flag's red and blue dyes into a ghostly white.

Question 5

True or false: The astronauts could not see any stars from the lunar surface because the sun was too bright.

Accepted Answer

True. The lunar surface and suits reflected so much sunlight that stars were invisible, just like on Earth during daytime.

Question 6

True or false: President Nixon had a prepared speech ready in case the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon.

Accepted Answer

True. Drafted by speechwriter William Safire, the 'In Event of Moon Disaster' speech would have addressed a failed rescue attempt.

Question 7

True or false: The Apollo 11 astronauts brought back moon rocks that were used to train bomb-sniffing dogs.

Accepted Answer

False. Moon rocks were kept in secure labs for study. Dogs were never involved, though some samples were used for educational displays.

Question 8

True or false: The Apollo 11 lunar module had no seats for the astronauts during the landing.

Accepted Answer

True. To save weight, the LM had no seats. Armstrong and Aldrin stood, strapped in by tethers, during the entire descent.

First Moon Landing Trivia Questions