How 'Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon' Got the Apollo Moon Landing Wrong
"Transformers: The Dark of the Moon" begins with a fascinating alternate history of the Apollo program to tie it in with the war between two groups of giant robots from outer space for the Earth with the humans caught in between.
Essentially, the crash of an alien space ship is detected on the lunar surface. This spurs President John Kennedy to call for a moon landing on the site of the space ship crash before the Russians can get there. Years later, the crew of Apollo 11 land near the site and, during a communications blackout, they visit the crash site. To further buttress the story line, the actual Buzz Aldrin is seen conversing with one of the giant robot characters in the present day.
Unfortunately the screenwriter failed to take several facts and almost certain developments based on known facts in constructing this scenario.
First, a space craft the size of the ship described in the movie would have raised an immense dust plume in the one sixth gravity of the moon that would have likely been detected by just about every telescope on Earth. The plume would have persisted likely for some hours. This actually occurred when a NASA probe was deliberately crashed into a crater at the lunar south pole, creating a dust and ice plume that helped to confirm the existence of frozen water in dark craters on the moon.
Second, there was no transmission gap that would have allowed the Apollo11 astronauts to visit the crash site clandestinely. The entire space walk was broadcast live on Earth television.
Third, Apollo 11 did not and on the "far side" or as the movie mistakenly calls it "dark side" of the moon. There is no dark side of the moon. The moon's orbit exposes both sides of that body to sunlight as it moves around the Earth.
Finally, no American government would abandon an alien space ship on the lunar surface, with all the technological marvels it is likely to contain. The Apollo program would have concentrated on building a base at the crash site so that the ship wreck could be studied. The entire history of the Apollo program and indeed the latter half of the 20th century would have changed in ways that are unimaginable.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.
Sources: 'Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon': Giant Robots Destroy Chicago, Mark R. Whittington, Associated Content, July 2, 2011
Apollo Program (1963-1972), NASA
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo, Dark Sanction, and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington... View profile
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10 Comments
Post a Commentgawd, who F__in' cares??? this writer has to be the most inept literary voice to ever grace the already polluted pages of yahoo news.... if you dont believe me, dig between his stupid reviews of burn notice and transformers you'll find the ridiculous palin/obama debate "article" he recently wrote... I think this idiot lives on the moon or something because the garbage he write completely out of touch with reality. what a douche.
Some really good comments about how the author took a science fiction movie a little too seriously. But then the author is a history major and not a theater major. Wait until you read his piece lambasting President Obama for not knowing, as the author, a true student of history knows, that everyone knew Earth was round in 1492. Wait, not everyone knows this even today! He needs to read a little more and write a little less.
I dont like any of The Transformer Movies, the first one was the best but the second one was basically a rip off of Terminator 3 with that Decepticon constantly trying to seduce the movies hero, and his parents were extremely annoying especially his mom, and they put too many stupid sex jokes into it like that one tiny decepticon humping Megan Foxes leg
Sad. Just really sad.
Hey, yo do know there really wasn't a guy named Forrest Gump, right? Why don't you write about how he never really met Nixon or fought in Vietnam next?
This is from a guy that is posting "political" commentary for 2012. If you cant trust him with science fiction--how can you trust him with real life? It's a movie, Mark.
Ha! They actually got the robot engineering wrong too...as everyone knows, no space traveling, shape shifting robots would choose a Chevy product to transform into.
I'm not sure but I think when they mentioned the dark side, they were referring to the side of the moon that's always facing away from us. That side can't be seen by telescopes on earth.
Misrepresenting the Apollo missions was the least of this movie's problems. They also misrepresented Cheyrnoble and the Space Shuttle. There's a reason they call it science fiction.
To their credit (and I can't BELIEVE I'm defending them) the film makers changed the name of the movie from the Dark Side of the Moon to the Dark of the Moon in order to address the fact that there is no dark side of the moon.
Seriously? You are criticizing a movie centered around alien giant robots that can transform into cars and planes for not getting a few facts about the Apollo program right? Better yet you go further to even speculate that what they would have done had this actually happened. Whats next, suggesting that you cant survive on the Jersey Shore by doing nothing other than tanning, working out, laundry, drinking and random hook-ups? How do I get your job? Even I can write a foolish article like this once a day.
With all due respect, Mr. Whittingon, please get a life. No one is trying to make this an ACTUAL historic event. This is what's called a science-fiction movie. Note the word "fiction", which deals (in part or in whole) with events that are not factual, but imaginary and invented by its author. Your pointing out the flaws in the the ship's lunar crashing and the Apollo Project show that you (as others) have nothing better to do but complain about worthless and unimportant topics. I was actually hoping for some fact-filling substance in your article, however, all I got was a waste of my time.