Apollo 11's Traveling Light
On the way to the Moon, the Apollo 11 crew saw a light out the window that seemed to travel alongside them. They asked Mission Control where their discarded rocket stage was and were told it was thousands of miles away. Aldrin talked about the sighting in later interviews and said his words were often taken out of context. Separately, a fabricated story that Neil Armstrong saw alien craft on the lunar surface spread widely; it has been traced to a hoax by science fiction writer Otto Binder.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- The crew's sighting and their question to Mission Control.
- Aldrin's later interviews about it.
What's claimed
- Alien craft followed Apollo 11 to the Moon.
- Armstrong reported aliens watching from a crater.
Best explanation so far
The most likely candidates are panels that separated from the rocket when the spacecraft pulled away, which would have traveled along a similar path. Aldrin has said it was probably one of them. The Armstrong quote is a hoax.
Check the sources
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