Moon Landing, Outline Example

Introduction

1. July 20^th 1969 was a historic day for the Americans:
   1. America became the first country to land a human on the moon and the distinction went to Neil Armstrong.
   2. The event was broadcasted live to the world.
2. Nonetheless, the event has its fair share of skeptics who argue:
   1. The camera angle means either Neil Armstrong was not the first person or the event was staged as the doubters claim.
   2. The crater impact from the landing is too small.
   3. The fluttering flag is a red sign because the moon has no wind.
   4. It is not possible to pass through the Van Allen Belts that surround the moon, without burning or serious health problems.
   5. The technology didn’t exist to make the moon landing possible.
3. Thesis of the essay:
   1. Moon landing was indeed staged.

Arguments

1. The technology at the time of moon landing was still in early stages:
   1. One would be lucky to catch a live feed from a news station more than ten miles away so how could the live broadcast of the moon landing have taken place?
   2. Computer chips had not been invented by 1969 so it would not have been possible to build Apollo’s guidance computer.
2. The camera angle leaves behind various red flags:
   1. The video camera is not behind Neil Armstrong or being held by him as would have been the case if he were indeed the first person on the moon.
3. Moon has no wind:
   1. Yet the flag is fluttering
4. Gases and chemicals released from spaceship landings and take-offs leave huge physical impact on the landing spot:
   1. We see no crater or any physical impact from the spaceship landing
   2. Though we do see distinct boot prints everywhere on the moon.

Counter-Arguments

1. Flag is waving because:
   1. Astronaut is repeatedly moving it while mounting it.
   2. Ripple is not because of wind but due to astronaut’s actions.
2. No distinct impact from spaceship landing is observed:
   1. Astronauts slowed down the spaceship while still quite high above the ground.
3. Camera angle is on the side:
   1. It is not being hold by a person but instead mounted on the pallet of the spacecraft.
   2. The camera was pointed at the ladder of the spacecraft.
4. Van Allen Belts didn’t present as much danger as expected:
   1. NASA determined the danger from crossing the Van Allen Belts was minimum; the actual exposure was only 1 REM (unit of radiation) while a threatening level would have to be between 100-200 REM.
5. Taking pictures was possible and they are clear because:
   1. Cameras had a special transparency film and were protected inside a special case designed to keep them cool.
   2.  You only release the best pictures to the public, not less-than-ideal ones.
6. Technology didn’t really exist but:
   1. It is a mistake to apply modern technology context to that time.
   2. Apollo guidance computer had power equal to today’s kitchen appliances.
   3. Apollo guidance computer was closer to what would count as a microcontroller today rather than a computer.
   4. Most of the number-crunching took place at Mission Control and results were transmitted to Apollo guidance computer.
7. Computer chips had not been invented by 1969 but:
   1. Microchips with the ability to perform simple tasks did exist and could be built into the processors.
   2. Apollo guidance computer had approximately 4kb RAM which was many thousand times lower than present-day chip.
   3. By mid-1960s several companies were already producing commercially available integrated circuits.

Conclusion

1. The moon-landing was probably staged:
   1. The U.S. government wanted a competitive and psychological edge over U.S.S.R in the ongoing Cold War.
   2. Why U.S.S.R has never attempted to land a human on the moon? Is it because of lack of technology or the fact that it is an impossible task?
   3. Why U.S. has not attempted another moon landing after that?
   4. Viewers in Australia spotted a coke bottle in the video which was later edited out.
2. Personal opinion:
   1. Due to lack of transmission technology at the time, live recording of the event puzzles me.
   2. The video creates more questions than it provide answers due to the camera angles involved.
   3. The fact that no human moon landing has been attempted since then says something about the difficulty of the task. Another reason for lack of attempt could be the health risks involved for the astronauts.
   4. The task must have been next-to-impossible at the time when the technology was nothing compared to what we have today.