Was the Apollo 11 moon landing a hoax? – UNESCO and the International Year of Astronomy

Was the Apollo 11 moon landing a hoax? Of course, it matters whether it is true or not.

But in some ways  it does not. What is important, now, is that young people learn about scientific method and process (which has links to legal process and human rights) and how to search for and interrogate different  forms of evidence. Using the arguments and evidence (including a lot of visual evidence, which can be manipulated) of the issues around the moon  landings brings into sharper focus not only a need for skills of presenting , analysing and interpreting  evidence but also an understanding about bias and prejudice within the media, and how people’s views and understandings can be manipulated.

Training teachers to provide real opportunities for students to explore sensitive and sometimes even provocative issues can help their students  become more ‘human’ . Teachers not only have to have the skills, knowledge and attitudes to provide learning opportunities  but also the freedom and with it the responsibility  to extend the curriculum to meet students’ future needs and interests.

If you want more opportunities to explore the ‘moon landings hoax’ – try these:

conspiracy theories

hollywood studio?

and this is good for a laugh

and for NASA’s rebuttals

If scientific methods are understood and practiced and which lead to reduced prejudice and improved tolerance then we will have made a giant leap….

For a virtual tour of the moon try: http://www.google.com/moon/

UNESCO is leading the International Year of Astronomy

Just like prejudice  ‘the essential is invisible to our eyes‘, which is the compelling title of theories of the universe – Cosmologists believe that about 70 percent of the universe consists of dark energy, 25 percent of dark matter, and only 5% of ‘normal matter’ (known elements such as stars, planets, etc.).

What is dark matter and what is dark energy? Our understanding of the physical world will be revolutionized the day we discover the answers to these two questions, which will be central to the “Invisible Universe” programme presented at UNESCO from 29 June to 10 July, as part of the International Year of Astronomy celebration.

The exhibition “Exploring the Invisible Universe” will show how modern astronomy and more generally modern science has converged toward a vision of our reality based on the invisible, in the sense of not directly detectable.

The exhibition is organized with the support of the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO.

Discover all levels of the Cosmos – the closest to the farthest – a trip that starts with the solar system and ends at the confines of the most distant known galaxies and structures.

“Palais de la Découverte” – Paris, France

From 23 June to 22 November 2009

In the IYA there are global programmes of activities centred on a specific theme and are some of the projects that will help to achieve the IYA2009’s main goals.

1. 100 Hours of Astronomy
2. Cosmic Diary
3. Portal to the Universe
4. She is an Astronomer
5. Dark Skies Awareness
6. Astronomy and World Heritage (Universal treasures)
7. Galileo Teacher Training Programme
8. Universe Awareness (One place in the Universe)
9. From Earth to the Universe (The beauty of science)
10. Developing Astronomy Globally (Astronomy for all)

And for discovering for yourself why not invest in the new  Galileoscope (only a few dollars!)

Galileo’s Classroom

Astronomy is an ideal vehicle to interest kids in science and to teach the basics of chemistry, physics, math, and even biology to elementary and middle-school kids. For high school it’s the perfect science since it uses biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and environmental science to study the universe and our place in it.

Astronomy is also ideally suited to teaching the scientific process — how observations and evidence lead to sensible explanations about how the world works.

It is no exaggeration to say that the telescope changed everything: Galileo’s discoveries literally revolutionized our perception of the universe and Earth’s place in it.

The Galileoscope™ is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators. No matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago and that still delight stargazers today. These include lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling Jupiter, the phases of Venus, Saturn’s rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye.

Space studies bring a new dimension to science education. They introduce new knowledge, values and perspectives on the planet Earth and develop better understanding of the universe and beyond. Space studies, based on the rational arguments of physics and mathematics, help the development of the critical thinking process, participatory problem solving and decision making skills of students, which are central to quality education, the priority goal of the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).

• Objectives of the Space Education Programme
• SEP focuses on three disciplines

And don’t forget the range of images from the edge of the known universe taken by the Hubble telescope

image from Hubble

The  ideas represented above including ‘the essential is in the invisible’ mean that for  young people there is still plenty of scope for discovery, enquiry, exploration and creativity – the stuff that real education is made of , which allows students to make giant leaps in their learning.