Astronauts Gone Wild is a 2004 film made by Bart Sibrel, a filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee who charges that the six Apollo moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s were elaborate hoaxes. Sibrel made this film, 53 minutes in length, as a follow-up to his 2001 video A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon, which accuses NASA of falsifying the Apollo 11 mission photography. He also appeared in the TV special aired on the FOX network in 2001, called Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?. Today, he can be heard on radio programs expanding on his conspiracy theory viewpoint and explaining why he believes that no man has ever set foot on the Moon.^[1] Bartholomew Winfield Sibrel is a Nashville, Tennessee-based amateur filmmaker who claims that the six Apollo moon landings between 1969 and 1972 were hoaxes. ... Nickname: Location in Davidson County and the state of Tennessee Coordinates: Country United States State Tennessee Counties Davidson County Founded: 1779 Incorporated: 1806 Government  - Mayor Bill Purcell (D) Area  - City  526. ... Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Independent evidence for Apollo Moon landings. ... A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon is a 2001 documentary written, produced, and directed by Nashville, Tennessee-based filmmaker and investigative journalist Bart Winfield Sibrel, a critic of the United States space program and proponent of the theory that the six Apollo lunar landing missions between... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... The Apollo 11 mission was the first mission to land on the Moon. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... The historical plaque on the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle, still remaining on the Moon. ...

Encounters with Buzz Aldrin

In the film Astronauts Gone Wild, Mr. Sibrel confronts nine Apollo astronauts and asks them to swear an oath on a Bible that they did, in fact, voyage to the moon and back. His first televised encounter is with the Apollo 11 crewmember Buzz Aldrin. Inside an office room, he shows Dr. Aldrin his "secret" footage, which Sibrel says was sent to him by mistake from NASA. ^[2] According to Sibrel, this footage shows the crew rigging a shot inside their spacecraft to appear halfway to the Moon, when they were really in Earth orbit and trying to deceive the world.^[3] Aerospace engineer Jay Windley is among those who claim that Sibrel has misinterpreted the video. He points out that the scene of Earth in the footage shows a cloud pattern that remains constant throughout the video, something that would not be possible if the crew were in Earth orbit. Furthermore, if a transparency were really used to simulate the appearance of Earth in deep space, as Sibrel has claimed, it could not adequately fake the weather conditions that have been documented as taking place in July 1969. ^[4] Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America (NASA) using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch vehicle, conducted during the years 1961 – 1975. ... Astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit outside the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. ... Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Sc. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[1] Outer space, sometimes simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. ...

Aldrin dismisses Sibrel's arguments, stating "We went to the Moon; we're not misleading anybody." Later in the film, Sibrel confronts Aldrin on another occasion, this time in September 2002 in Beverly Hills, California. The filmmaker makes his Bible request. When the ex-astronaut refuses and tries his best to get away from the man, Sibrel follows Aldrin and calls him "a coward and a liar."^[5] Having had enough of Sibrel's stalking tactics, Aldrin punches the man on camera. This incident, which made national headlines at the time, is the best known response he received from one of the Apollo astronauts about his conspiracy belief.^[6] Interestingly, in a recent radio interview, Sibrel stated that he blames himself for provoking Aldrin to punch him. He claims to have sent Aldrin a letter of apology.^[7] Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Ancient Greek , Apóllōn; or , Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), was the archer-god of medicine and healing, light, truth, archery and also a... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ...

Encounters with other astronauts

As shown in the video, Sibrel also was able to interview astronauts Alan Bean, Gene Cernan and Ed Mitchell about the Apollo project. Bean, for instance, states that the full-up testing of the Saturn V rocket cut months off the schedule and was an impetus in reaching the moon before decade's end. Cernan describes an experiment on his moon mission, Apollo 17, that was specifically designed to study the radiation of the Van Allen Belts. The interviews end with the request to swear an oath on Sibrel's Bible. He asks them to "swear and affirm, under penalty of eternal damnation, perjury and treason" that the astronauts really went to the moon. Cernan and Mitchell testify that they did indeed walk on the moon, taking the whole oath as Sibrel states it to them. Alan Bean is also willing to swear on Sibrel's Bible, though Sibrel shows him as unwilling to swear under penalty of perjury. ^[8] Alan LaVern Bean (born March 15, 1932 in Wheeler, Texas) is a former NASA Astronaut. ... Eugene A. Cernan (born March 14, 1934) is a former United States astronaut. ... Edgar Mitchell (right) poses with Stuart Roosa (left) and Alan Shepard (center) Edgar D. Mitchell (born September 17, 1930) was the sixth man to walk on the moon. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program. ... Radiation as used in physics, is energy in the form of waves or moving subatomic particles. ... Van Allen belts The Van Allen radiation belt is a torus of energetic charged particles around Earth, trapped by Earths magnetic field. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ...

Later, Mitchell had the following to say about his encounter: "Sibrel faked his way into my home with false History Channel credentials for an interview. After about 3-4 minutes, he popped the Bible question. Realizing who he was, I maintained my cool enough to swear on his Bible, then ended the interview and tossed him out of the house, with a boot in his rear." ^[9]

The other astronauts Sibrel confronts are Mike Collins, Al Worden, Bill Anders, John Young and Neil Armstrong. He did not arrange formal interviews with any of these men, but was able to catch up with them at public events and make his Bible request. For the most part, these astronauts do the best they can to avoid him as soon as they find out that he supports the conspiracy theory. ^[10] He confronts Armstrong at a meeting of stockholders in New York City, according to Armstrong's recent biography, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, by James Hansen. During interviews for the biography, regarding the hoax claims Armstrong said "It doesn't bother me. It will all pass in time."^[11] The Apollo 11 commander refuses to go along with his demands and states "Mr. Sibrel, you do not deserve answers." Meanwhile, Worden tells Sibrel that his claims of a falsified mission are "totally nonsense." He says that he has no problem swearing on the Bible of his trip to the Moon, but that he doesn't feel he needs to do so.^[12] U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... Mike Collins art used for the cover of 2000 AD #1433, featuring the main character from Amercian Gothic Mike Collins is a Wales-based comic book artist and writer and has been working in comics since the mid-1980s. ... Alfred Merrill Worden (born February 7, American astronaut who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 moon mission in July_August 1971. ... William A. Anders (b. ... John Young might refer to the following people: John Young, Royal Advisor to Kamehameha I, Kingdom of Hawaii John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, Governor of New South Wales (1861-1867) and Governor General of Canada (1869-1872) John Andrew Young, Congressman from Texas John Young, 19th century United States Governor... Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and Naval Aviator. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ...

Notes

1. ^ Binnall of America radio show. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
2. ^ Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].
3. ^ Sibrel, Bart. Moon Movie. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
4. ^ Windley, Jay. Clavius Moon Base. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
5. ^ Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].
6. ^ Bancroft, Colette. "Lunar Lunacy", St. Petersburg Times, 2002-09-29. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
7. ^ Binnall of America radio show. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
8. ^ Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].
9. ^ Bart Sibrel page. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
10. ^ Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].
11. ^ Hansen, James (2005). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, pp. 634-37. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-5631-5.
12. ^ Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].

References

• Answers.com: Bart Sibrel. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
• Binnall of America radio show. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
• Bart Sibrel page. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
• Bancroft, Colette. "Lunar Lunacy", St. Petersburg Times, 2002-09-29. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
• Hansen, James (2005), First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-7432-5631-5
• Sibrel, Bart (Director). (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild [DVD].
• Sibrel, Bart. Moon Movie. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
• Windley, Jay. Clavius Moon Base. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.

Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is an American test pilot, astronaut, and was the first human being to walk on the Moon. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ...

See also

• Apollo Moon Landing hoax accusations
• Bill Kaysing
• Ralph Rene
• Moon landing

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Independent evidence for Apollo Moon landings. ... William Charles Kaysing (July 31, 1922 – April 21, 2005) was a writer who is best known for claiming that the six Apollo moon landings that took place between July 1969 and December 1972 were hoaxes. ... Ralph Rene is a self-taught inventor and small press publisher who is a vocal proponent of the Apollo moon landing hoax. ... The historical plaque on the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle, still remaining on the Moon. ...

External links

• Sibrel's website selling the Astronauts Gone Wild video
• Website devoted to debunking the moon landing hoax allegation
• Page devoted specifically to debunking Sibrel's claims
• Bad Astronomy page devoted to Sibrel
• Bart Sibrel interview on Binnall of America
• Documentary addressing many Apollo hoax allegations, including Bart Sibrel's theories