page_title: Third-party evidence for Apollo Moon landings
section_title: New lunar missions
hierarchical_section_title: Third-party evidence for Apollo Moon landings / Independent research consistent with NASA claims / Photographs / New lunar missions
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) of Apollo 11 after LRO dropped into its 50 km mapping orbit. At this altitude, very small details of Tranquility Base can be discerned. The footpads of the LM are clearly discernible. Components of the Early Apollo Science Experiments Package (EASEP) are easily seen, as well. Boulders from West Crater lying on the surface to the east stand out, and the many small craters that cover the moon are visible to the southeast. The LROC can take high resolution black-and-white images of the lunar surface, capturing images of the poles with resolutions down to 1 m (3.3 feet).
context_page_description: Third-party evidence for Apollo Moon landings is evidence, or analysis of evidence, about Moon landings that does not come from either NASA or the U.S. government, or the Apollo Moon landing hoax theorists. This evidence serves as independent confirmation of NASA's account of the Moon landings.
context_section_description: Post-Apollo lunar exploration missions have located and imaged artifacts of the Apollo program remaining on the Moon's surface.
  Images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission beginning in July 2009 show the six Apollo Lunar Module descent stages, Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) science experiments, astronaut footpaths, and lunar rover tire tracks. These images are the most effective proof to date to rebut the "landing hoax" theories. Although this probe was indeed launched by NASA, the camera and the interpretation of the images are under the control of an academic group — the LROC Science Operations Center at Arizona State University, along with many other academic groups.  At least some of these groups, such as German Aerospace Center, Berlin, are not located in the US, and are not funded by the US government.
  After the images shown here were taken, the LRO mission moved into a lower orbit for higher resolution camera work. All of the sites have since been re-imaged at higher resolution.
  Comparison of the original 16 mm Apollo 17 LM camera footage during ascent to the 2011 LRO photos of the landing site show an almost exact match of the rover tracks.
  Further imaging in 2012 shows the shadows cast by the flags planted by the astronauts on all Apollo landing sites. The exception is that of Apollo 11, which matches Buzz Aldrin's account of the flag being blown over by the lander's rocket exhaust on leaving the Moon.
caption: Apollo 11 landing site photographed by LRO
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