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: The American flag placed on the moon by Apollo 11 was knocked over by the rocket exhaust during liftoff.

Accepted Answer

True. Buzz Aldrin reported seeing the flag blow over as the lunar module’s ascent stage lifted off from the surface.

Question 4

True or false: During the First Moon Landing, the Apollo 11 astronauts could not see any stars from the lunar surface because the sun was too bright.

Accepted Answer

False. Astronauts reported seeing stars when they shielded their eyes from the sun's glare or stood in shadow. The bright surface didn't make all stars invisible; only direct sunlight required shading, similar to seeing stars from a deep well during daylight.

Question 5

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 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 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.

Question 8

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 strictly preserved for scientific study and educational displays. There is no record of them being used to train bomb-sniffing dogs, a practice that would have damaged the priceless samples.

First Moon Landing Trivia Questions