Launched in late June, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has achieved polar orbit above the Moon, and has sent back its first photos. Though the details are tiny in the photographs, NASA officials are pleased by the resolution the camera has afforded them, claiming that future photos will feature resolutions two to three times greater magnitude.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon your viewpoint), these photos will do nothing to dispel the belief that the original lunar landing was faked by the government in 1969. Conspiracy theorists believe that the whole thing was a propaganda stunt meant to fool the Soviet Republic into believing in America’s space program superiority. My problem with this argument is that if I wanted to fool the public into thinking we went to the Moon, I’d have made everything look a lot cooler. The ship would have been sleek and futuristic, the suits would have been a lot more form-fitting, and the Moon itself would have had more features on it than just rocks.
But whether or not you believe the alternate theories, they do provide one useful thing: skepticism. We teach our children all manner of positive, worthwhile things, but a trait we shouldn’t ignore is skepticism. We should let them know it’s a good thing to ask questions and to seek proof when the answers aren’t to their liking. Given the world we now inhabit, blind faith is no longer a luxury we can afford, especially when it comes to our government, and what the media tells us (remember the Swine Flu Panic?). If we can teach our kids to think for themselves, pursue alternate forms of the news, and do their own research, this will serve us all very well in the long run.
