The Deniers are the Limit
With the launch of NASA’s Artemis II rocket on the horizon, the future of space travel has never seemed so bright. The anticipation of man’s return to the moon in 50 years has already garnered mass attention from the media, and many are excited about the implications of the mission on developments in the scientific world. However, with the rise in relevancy of exploring space, there has been a concerning return in the amount of people who continually deny humanity’s progress in space. Underneath every space-related post on social media or on scientific blogs discussing the mission, it has become incredibly common to find someone disputing the legitimacy of each venture into space, claiming it is a government hoax, or any footage or evidence from the mission has been CGI or replicated in a studio.
It has been no surprise for government institutions to be involved with deep conspiracy theories and mistrust from the public, and NASA is certainly not an exception to this issue. The public denial of NASA, however, poses a much more serious threat to humanity’s progress and development than mistrust in other institutions, much more than many may realize. The progression of humanity and sciences is based on a collective intellectual movement of the planet, the desire to make advancements and findings, and a curiosity of the species to be curious about the unknown. With such a deep mistrust on a government agency that facilitates all of these necessities that also propels humanity forward, progress becomes difficult for NASA to operate if they constantly face public scrutiny as a sense of urgency or necessity to make scientific endeavors fade. NASA currently deals with much more issues than disproving conspiracy theories that the doubtful create - it would be much more efficient for the institution to be able to focus all of its resources in upcoming projects such as the Artemis rather than constantly having to pull data and science to continually disprove deniers as they have done in the past.
According to the Smithsonian, moon landing deniers have increased nearly 6 times (from less than 5% to 27%) among Americans between 18 to 24 years old from 2004 to 2009, indicating a growing distrust from the American public as time passes from the original moon landings in the late 1900s. Younger generations have begun to deny moon landings - with radical media outlets and anti-intellectual sources continually promoting conspiracy theories such as a fake moon landing in an era where information is infinitely accessible to anyone without any verification of fact, many young adults have dedicated themselves to extremist and unconventional views on science and politics that undo and oppose the scientific achievements we have made throughout the past century. The media and the American education system has failed us - those who have already based their arguments on myth over facts are typically too far gone, and will continue to reject any sort of refutation to their arguments, no matter how conclusive the evidence may be.
It isn’t too late to reform systems for future generations however. Schools can raise more awareness for false information in the media and dangerous, radical and false statements made online that younger generations may fall for. As NASA restarts its mission on landing men on the moon through the Artemis rockets, the education system needs to document and enlighten the next generation on the brilliance of the science and engineering feats we have made to get to this point, and inspire the next generation to continue to challenge and progress science. The government needs to focus on making sure the American public is engaged and feels the sense of urgency for discovery that was present during the Apollo missions during the Cold War, and help bring a sense of enthusiasm and appreciation for the journeys we have made in uncovering the unknown. Only then, humanity will truly be able to advance beyond our current capabilities.
