Episode Details

Art Bell welcomes Marcus Allen, British publisher of Nexus Magazine, for a detailed examination of whether the Apollo moon landings were genuine manned missions. Allen argues that while machines likely reached the lunar surface, the Van Allen radiation belts pose a serious obstacle to human survival during transit. He walks through radiation exposure levels, noting astronauts would have absorbed 15 to 20 REM in each direction and that an M-class solar flare during Apollo 16 would have delivered approximately 900 REM, a lethal dose.

Allen also raises questions about the Apollo photography, pointing out that Kodak Ektachrome transparency film would show visible fogging at radiation levels far below what astronauts reportedly encountered, yet the returned photographs are remarkably pristine. He notes that no lead shielding or protective containers for the film were carried aboard due to strict weight limitations on the spacecraft.

Art pushes back throughout the conversation, pressing Allen on why the Soviet Union never exposed a hoax and whether protective measures could have been taken. Allen responds by citing Bernard Lovell of Jodrell Bank, who reported the Russians themselves refused to send cosmonauts beyond the radiation belts until safe return could be guaranteed.