Neil Armstrong spoke about moon landing conspiracy theories just before his death

Neil Armstrong was sure to dismiss conspiracy theories the moon landing was fake when giving his final interview before he died in 2012.

Staring into the sky, whether you were 10 or older by decades, most of us have dreamt of what it would be like to be an astronaut. Entering a spacecraft and exploring beyond this planet is a daunting task and one requiring a wealth of training. We have legendary figures to look back on who have braved it, but is there any astronaut’s name more famous than Neil Armstrong‘s? The Ohio-born inspiration became the first man to ever walk on the moon in 1969 when he was accompanied by Apollo 11 crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collin on their historical mission. The mission’s success birthed one of the most notable moments in history, but not everybody believes…

Neil Armstrong’s final interview saw him shut down moon landing conspiracy theories

An estimated 650 million viewers watched the moon landing on TV. Some people couldn’t believe their eyes—quite literally, it turns out. Even in 2024, there remain believers and peddlers of the conspiracy that the moon landing was faked. That the jaw-dropping event which stunned the world never happened.

Neil was 38 when he walked on the moon, and he gave his final interview in May 2012 just a few months before he died at 82 due to complications from cardiac surgery.

The Guardian reports the Certified Practicing Accountants of Australia were able to have an hour of Neil’s time to discuss the moon landing, in which he took a moment to shut down and defend the mission against conspiracy theories.

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“People love conspiracy theories,” he pondered. “I mean, they are very attractive. But it was never a concern to me because I know one day, somebody is going to go fly back up there and pick up that camera I left.”

That original camera is still there on the moon, but Neil’s achievement is felt here still, on Earth. “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind,” he famously said, and indeed it was.

Astronaut was ‘sad’ with the state of NASA before he passed

On the other hand, Neil wasn’t entirely thrilled about the state of NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) during what would ultimately be his last interview. Famously, he didn’t give many interviews, but he made his last count.

“NASA has been one of the most successful public investments in motivating students to do well and achieve all they can achieve,” he said. “It’s sad that we are turning the program in a direction where it will reduce the amount of motivation and stimulation it provides to young people.”

He ultimately felt the progress then being made in the program paled in comparison to what he and others were achieving in the 1960s.

“I’m substantially concerned about the policy directions of the space agency,” he added. “We have a situation in the US where the White House and Congress are at odds over what the future direction should be. They’re sort of playing a game and NASA is the shuttlecock that they’re hitting back and forth.”

Since then, we’ve had over a decade of NASA history to reflect upon. Hopefully, 12 years that Neil would have looked back on with pride.

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