Question 1

True or false: The U.S. flag planted on the Moon is still standing upright and visible today.

Accepted Answer

False. The flag likely fell over from the lunar module's ascent exhaust. It’s also bleached white by UV radiation, and no telescope can see it.

Question 2

True or false: The Soviet Union secretly landed a cosmonaut on the Moon just hours before Apollo 11.

Accepted Answer

False. No Soviet cosmonaut ever landed on the Moon. Their lunar program failed, and this is a persistent conspiracy myth with zero evidence.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

False. Armstrong claimed he improvised the line after landing. He later said he forgot the 'a' before 'man,' making it slightly off-script.

Question 4

True or false: The Apollo missions left several mirrors on the Moon that scientists still use to bounce lasers off today.

Accepted Answer

True. Retroreflectors placed by Apollo 11, 14, and 15 are used for lunar laser ranging experiments, measuring Earth-Moon distance precisely.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

True. Due to weight constraints, the lunar module had no seats. Armstrong and Aldrin stood tethered to the floor, relying on their suits for cushioning.

Question 6

True or false: The Moon smells like spent gunpowder according to Apollo astronauts who described the dust.

Accepted Answer

True. Astronauts reported the lunar dust smelled like burnt gunpowder or cap gun residue, likely due to solar wind reacting with the dust.

Question 7

True or false: During the Moon landing, the computer had less processing power than a modern pocket calculator.

Accepted Answer

True. Apollo Guidance Computer ran at 0.043 MHz with about 64 KB memory—weaker than a 1970s calculator but reliable for the mission.

Question 8

True or false: Astronauts on the Moon could not see any stars in the sky because the surface was too bright.

Accepted Answer

False. Stars were visible in photos and from inside the lunar module, but the bright surface and camera settings made them faint in surface shots.

Moon Landing Trivia Questions