NASA's Artemis II Delay Reignites Decades-Old Lunar Conspiracy Theories
The unexpected postponement of NASA's first crewed moon mission in over fifty years has triggered a resurgence of conspiracy theories, with some suggesting astronauts discovered alien life on the lunar surface during the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
Alleged Secret Transmission from Apollo 11
AJ Gentile, host of the popular podcast The Why Files, recently discussed a long-standing claim about a lost radio transmission from the Apollo 11 moon landing. According to Gentile, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin allegedly switched to a private medical channel during a radio blackout while approaching the moon.
During this brief window, which NASA records reportedly document, Armstrong and Aldrin supposedly informed mission control that they observed a group of beings "parked" in a crater on the lunar surface. "The story is they switch over to the medical channel and said 'they're here. They're on the crater, and they can see us,'" Gentile explained during an interview on The Tucker Carlson Show.
Despite these claims circulating for fifty-seven years, no concrete evidence has ever emerged to substantiate that the Apollo 11 crew actually used the backup radio channel for such communications.
Official Denials and Psychic Claims
The United States government and the Pentagon have consistently maintained that no physical evidence exists proving the reality of UFOs or extraterrestrial beings. However, Gentile pointed to former CIA psychics and respected astronauts who have suggested NASA has concealed information about the moon since missions concluded in 1972.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the CIA conducted experiments with individuals claiming "remote viewing" abilities—the purported capacity to perceive distant objects or events psychically. Gentile recounted the story of Ingo Swann, a famed remote viewer who allegedly saw towers, buildings, and human-like aliens operating at a secret complex on the dark side of the moon during a 1975 episode.
Swann, who passed away in 2013, detailed these shocking assertions in his 1998 book Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy. Remarkably similar to the alleged Armstrong and Aldrin transmission, Swann claimed the lunar beings were aware of his psychic presence viewing them from Earth. "Two of them pointed in my direction," Swann wrote. "How could they do that… unless… they have some kind of high psychic perceptions, too?"
Astronaut Testimonies and Public Skepticism
Gentile also referenced Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who publicly expressed belief in UFOs, extraterrestrial visits to Earth, and governmental cover-ups. "Every astronaut has seen strange things in space. Edgar Mitchell is on record as saying UFOs are real. This is the sixth man to walk on the moon. This is not a kook. This is an American hero. So something's clearly going on up there," Gentile declared.
When questioned about whether the original moon landing was fabricated, Gentile affirmed he believes it was genuine but noted discomfort due to the volume of suspiciously lost records from that historic event.
Artemis II Mission Details and Social Media Reactions
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that the Artemis II moon mission will be delayed until March after a fuel leak was discovered during testing. Originally scheduled for early February, the mission involves sending four astronauts on a ten-day journey to orbit the moon and return to Earth.
The postponement follows extreme cold temperatures from recent winter storms and a technical issue during a "wet dress rehearsal" test, where over 700,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen are loaded as propellants. "Engineers conducted a first run at terminal countdown operations during the test; however, the countdown stopped at 5 minutes left due to a spike in the liquid hydrogen leak rate," NASA stated.
Current launch windows are now set for March 6-9 or 11, with backup dates in early April if further delays occur.
On social media, skepticism about NASA's capabilities and intentions has flourished. One commenter on X remarked, "Dude, SpaceX launches 20 rockets a year and y'all launch 1 every 3 years? Pathetic. Liars. We never went to the moon." Another added, "So was the green screen and wire harnesses not working or what? I doubt it takes a month to fix something stage techs can fix in a couple of hours max."
These reactions highlight how NASA's technical challenges can fuel broader conspiracy narratives, blending historical claims with contemporary mission setbacks to create a compelling tapestry of speculation about humanity's lunar endeavors.
