Monday was the 40th anniversary of the July 1969 moon landing, one of the defining moments of the 20th century. I’ve always had some interest in space, partly because it’s so big that it boggles my mind. To think that I could travel at the speed of light for an entire lifetime in the same direction and not even pass through a tiny fraction of the universe…how can you not stand in awe, both of the universe and of the God who created it?

Anyway, after the landing, some people examined the photographs and other evidence from the trip and decided that NASA had faked the moon landing for political reasons because the actual trip was impossible. They offered some interesting arguments: shadows that didn’t line up, an astronaut in shadows that somehow was still visible, a flag that seemed to blow in the breeze. I wasn’t completely convinced either way, but I must admit, they got me thinking. A friend of mine at work is a staunch believer in the conspiracy theory and even has a website dedicated to the cause.

In honor of the anniversary, The Discovery Channel’s excellent show Mythbusters decided to test the conspiracy theorists’ arguments. Guess what? They debunked most of the major arguments, including:

• How could a flag move in a vacuum as if blown by the wind?
• How could the sun cast shadows that appear to be unparallel?
• How could such a perfect footprint be made in moondust with no air or water vapor to help it keep its shape?
• Why couldn’t the hoaxsters have faked the moon walks by playing a normal walk in slow motion?

I try to base my judgments on evidence when available. For me, the Mythbusters busted every one of these conspiracy theorists’ arguments. Coupled with the simple truth that the difficulty of pulling off such a hoax involving SO many people on such a monumental event would be pretty much prohibitive, this show convinced me of what most of us want to believe: yes, Virginia, man really did walk on the moon.