In addition to alleged anomalies in the visual record and in the technology of the Moon landings, there are also alleged anomalies of a physical nature. Conspiracy theorists argue that these anomalies show that the Apollo flights actually violated fundamental laws of physics.
For example, these theorists claim that the astronauts would have died crossing the Van Allen belts that encircle the Earth, that the photographic films and the astronauts themselves would have been unable to cope with the temperatures and radiation of space and of the lunar environment, that their pressurized suits would have inflated like balloons in a vacuum, and so forth.
These claims are based on misperceptions regarding the nature of space which are so widespread that issues such as radiation and the Van Allen belts have become popular questions even among non-doubters.
Answering these objections, which sometimes at least initially appear to make sense to anyone who is not thoroughly familiar with the actual physics of space travel, requires substantial research and access to rather uncommon scientific expertise. The same applies to understanding the answers.
Accordingly, this chapter is more complex than the previous ones, although every effort has been made to clarify the physics involved in each instance.
Explaining the fallacies of these claims is an excellent opportunity to talk about the real nature of space, dispel these common myths and explain radio communications in space, the behavior of dust in a vacuum, the inner workings of the Apollo spacesuits, and other physical aspects of spaceflight.
