On Wednesday August 27th, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Mythbusters will take on one of the biggest myths ever, that the Apollo Moon landings were faked.

Adam and Jamie will tackle the photos and the claim that they were shot in a studio as well as look at claims that the video footage of the astronauts ‘hopping’ around the moon were created by simply slowing down footage shot on Earth. Grant, Tori, and

Kari will take on how the footprint could be so defined and how the flag could flutter in a such dry, vacuum world. Finally Adam and Jamie will travel to New Mexico to see if they can see catch a reflection off one of the three laser reflectors left on the moon at the Apollo landing sites by the astronauts.

Since 2001, when FOX aired a television show called, "Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?" the myth that the Apollo Moon landings were faked has become part of the cultural fabric. As an indicator of the sagging level of scientific literacy in the United States, it is akin to the efforts to teach creationism alongside evolution. BadAstronomy.com has a point-by-point rebuttal of the arguments from the Fox program, but since most of the 300 million Americans don’t read Phil Plait’s blog, the Mythbusters’ program is a welcome champion of scientific inquiry.

Many people want to understand the science behind the rebuttals because the hoax believers appeal to people’s intuition and they know there must be a simple answer. The good news is there is. Stars don’t appear in pictures because the lunar surface is too bright, just like a baseball stadium at a night game. The flag is waving because the astronaut is moving shaking the pole as he is assembling the apparatus. The top bar did not extend all the way out on the flag, creating a wrinkle that makes it look like it’s waving. The cross hairs "disappear" because a bright white object drowns out the black crosshair on the film. Etc. etc.

Still, Adam and Jamie have that certain way of coming to an answer that makes science fun. The team traveled to a few NASA centers to use vacuum chambers and other facilities for the filming of this very special episode. After waiting for a over a year to see it, we now have just T-minus one week to wait.

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