Moon hoax: you've heard the claims. You know they're wrong. But can you explain why?

Now you can.

This is the cover of my book Moon Hoax: Debunked! (formerly known by the working title Yes, We Did Go to the Moon). As the blurb says, finally there is a no-nonsense, fact-filled book that debunks ”moon hoax” claims.

It's suitable for doubters, to dispel their doubts, as well as for space enthusiasts, who will find all the technically accurate but plain-language answers to the questions of their doubtful friends.

Moon Hoax: Debunked! is based on my Italian-language book on the subject, which is also available as a download or in hardcopy via Lulu.com and Amazon.com.

You can download the virtually complete first draft of the entire book; comments and corrections, as well as donations to encourage me to continue writing Moon Hoax: Debunked! and other projects, are of course most welcome.

Download the EPUB file (14 MB, English, FREE)

You may need to right-click (Ctrl-click on Macs) on the link to start the download.

What's in the book

The first part of Moon Hoax: Debunked! begins with Race for the Moon, a quick primer on the historical background of the Moon race, followed by How We Went to the Moon, a description of the hardware and the events of a typical Moon mission. Then there's a chapter that provides a detailed explanation of the best evidence of the Moon landings and a chapter covering the origins and popularity of the various hoax theories.

The rest of the book is dedicated to a point-by-point debunking of the main “moon hoax” claims and common misconceptions regarding the Moon landings, divided by category: alleged anomalies in photographs and in video and film footage, technological and physical anomalies, and other miscellaneous claims.

There's a chapter on how to argue with a Moon hoax believer, one covering the various UFO claims and one with a list of questions that will befuddle any hoax believer by pointing out the contradictions of his or her claims.

You will also find a chapter that shows how the Apollo missions don't need conspiracy theories to be a fascinating story. For example, did you know that pictures of Playmates were smuggled to the Moon to prank the astronauts? Or that there was a secret Soviet plan to land a Russian on the Moon before the US?

The book is also an opportunity to explore the technology of the space race: not only the rocketry but also the analog photography, film and television technology used to provide the visual record of the Moon missions.

Who I am

I'm Paolo Attivissimo, a British-Italian science journalist specialized in research into conspiracy theories, hoaxes and urban legends. I've written or coauthored over a dozen books on computers, the Internet and other subjects such as 9/11 conspiracy theories, UFOs and science-related mysteries in Italian.

I live near Lugano, Switzerland, where I work for Swiss National Radio (RSI) and as a consultant for RAI, Mediaset and other Italian-language radio and TV networks. My CV (in Italian) is here.

I'm also a lifelong space enthusiast and a part-time collaborator of NASA's Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, so Moon Hoax: Debunked! is a labor of love as well as a good excuse to delve into the fascinating human and technical details of mankind's greatest journeys of exploration. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it.