h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why is it that when you see the out of window shot of the lunar module landing, there are no great clouds of dust; surely the thrusters must kick up a spot or two of dust.

Dust doesn't form clouds in a vacuum. It acts ballistically.

If you watch the moon landing, you'll see dust being blown away from the rocket engines, but you probably didn't recognise it as such because it was behaving in a strange manner for dust.

Cheers Jim, I'd forgotten the vacuum situation. I had theoried about the gravitational pull. That's one theory to strike of my "fake moon landing " chart.

I don't 'see' it at all.. I got the album, not the video (which they didn't make in those days)...


PS: Album.. you know.. those flat, vinyl things.

For the life of me though, I cannot see how a flat vinyl thing could keep out all that dust. Perhaps the astronauts carried feather dusters to prevent such occurances. You know they probably didn't have much time for advertisement of such equipments with all that silliness about Tang and such, not too mention all the work they were putting into that "One small step for man" promotional speech. The vaccuum theory does sound valid, however, and it might be worth investigating as to wheather it was a Hoover vaccuum or Vaccuum King (very popular in those days, and did look a good deal like a little space robot) that the astronauts were using. Had the entire moon been made of poisonous tomatoes or peach pits (refer to most serious lectures on said poisonous tomatoes or peach pits), there would most definitely been a lack of dust, save for a little powder insecticide (which might just substantiate the poisonous tomato theory...words on that one Anonymouse?) but could have left a good deal of stains on the astronauts craft and suits. The question we have to ask ourselves though, would be, just how do they grow tomatoes on the moon without proper tomato stakes?

They use the cages, of course! Oh, and Sevin Dust would act like regular dust, which the Electrolux would have sucked clean out of the way, anyway.

Obviously we couldn't bring something as potentially dangerous as a tomato to the moon without further tests. On both the tomato and the soil of the moon. Not to be confused with the Hoyle of the Moon, which simply explains the proper way to play moon cards.

Nonono! A full moon always beats three quarters.

Funny you should mention playing "moon cards", because the term derives from the same period in time as " mooning " or " to pull a moonie ". Many sites on the web contain photos of the 'alleged' fake moon landings. One such photo - quite possibly the most famous of them - shows a lone astronaut with a reflection in his visor; people claim that a bright object reflected is above the level of the ground, but what could it be? Speculators say a large globe; some say a helicopter. The truth however is far simpler: While making the fake landings, the camera operators, lighting guys etc. would get extremely bored watching Neil and the boys being hoisted about to create the illusion, and so they would play games, one of which was moon cards. The object in the reflection of the visor is some of the guys having a bit of fun with the hoist in the background - dropping their trousers and showing their back-sides to try and make the Astronauts laugh. This, quite obviously, became known as "MOONING", and has being a fore-player of every schoolboy prank. Now you tell, who's lying?

*lifts tail and turns around*

If that's the definitive origin of "mooning".....then, my God....I may never be able to eat one of my Texas favorites, the formidable "moon pie." The world may never be the same for me. Et tu Moone'???? Please somebody put me out of my misery and give me a poisonous tomato. Johnny Appleseed, you have won.

Egad, man! You can't stop now! You've only begun to scratch the surface on what I am sure is some sort of vast agricultural/mythical tree grower conspiracy involving the lunar surface, moon pies, and the act of removing your trousers as a form of taunting.
So far, I assume the Department of the Interior is invlolved, as well as the CIA (what would a conspiracy be without the CIA?) and obviously, the NSA. Perhaps the California Orange Growers (although I haven't seen anyh evidence of trouble with oranges yet, maybe their in cahoots with the peach growers?) and the Secratary of Agriculture is sure to be in charge of the whole thing. Probably along with Buzz Aldrin. I never trust a man who calls himself "Buzz" and claims he walked on the moon. If you ever meet someone like that, ask how they planted their tomatos up there.

By George (or someone that believes he is George, or perhaps George believing he is someone else, or me for that matter), I think you've got it!!!!! Now I see the connection....the California Orange Growers and "TANG"!!!!!!!!!! It's a travesty that they think they can get away with that....it's an affront (maybe even a back) to society!!!! They have subordinated the commercial media, supplanting ideas about Johnny Appleseed going about his merry way planting poisonous tomatoes along the countryside, having us drink Tang by the gallons, slowly taking away our moon pies, our belief in vinyl disks that somehow play music without CD players, and ballbearings in general. We can't stand for this...or sit for that matter. Buzz Aldrin and Johnny Appleseed, we're onto you.

Oops.. I'm afraid you misstepped somewhere there during your conspirical hypothesizing... What could Orange Growers -possibly- have to do with tang? They hate the stuff... takes away their business!


Erm... you -didn't- actually think that stuff was made from oranges, did you?? *ugh!*

If you believe you're George, where does that leave George? On the moon, perchance?

My god (or someone who believes he is god, other then Issac Asimov)! I think I know the answer to the hug philosophical disussion taking place in the "why am i not me" forum!

Perhaps if you're not you, then you are sent to the moon (or the celiestial body that believes itself to be the moon)while the person who IS you does that voodoo that you do so well back home! That would definately explain the recent behavior of Bill Keane. He's on the moon!

Obviously, the shipping of people to the moon puts a hefty strain on the NASA budget, so my guess is they're being sponsered by the good people (or those who think they are people) of the TANG corporation, in exchange for them using their product on their long trip. But there's one piece missing: why?

Why are people being sent to the moon and being replaced with others who may or may not be congressmen? And why aren't they aloud to stand (or sit)?

They're allowed to sit. They're just not provided any solid surface on which to carry this act out.

you'd think they could use the flat vinyl discs.

Those are reserved for use as dustpans.  They have holes in them, but the dust doesn't contain enough mass for the gravity to pull it through so it doesn't count for much.

Sort of off the subject...but I must pose this question. What ever happened to that golf ball they hit on the moon, was it ever found? NO!! Yet another government cover up! I have it from a reliable source, that that golf ball actually critically damaged an invading alien force coming to destroy the earth for the inhumane treatment of their leader, aka Lee Harvey Oswald.

The golf ball apparently was part of top secret research in developing paddle balls. The ball was actually attached to the golf club via a rubber band, and returned from orbit each time it was struck. This concept was adapted here on Earth, only the clubs became wooden paddles and the golf balls little rubber balls, and the sport of golf converting into something that children do when they really want to aggravate their parents, striking an object repeatedly against another object.