In a video posted on Twitter this preceding Saturday , Dmitry Rogozin , the director universal of the Russian space means Roscosmos , suggested that one goal of their be after 2029 man Moon landing place mission will be to confirm whether the American Apollo missions were real or fake .
“ We have set this objective to vaporize and swan whether they ’ve been there or not , ” Rogozin said ata printing press conference , with Moldovan President Igor Dodon , that discourse the possibility of a multi - nation - operated Moon base .
But , before any conspiracy theorists get too excited , it appears that Rogozin was joking . Despite the long - standing rivalry – and in the past , outright hostility – between Roscosmos and NASA , no self - respecting scientist believe that thesix Apollo missionsthat successfully ferried human to the Moon ’s Earth’s surface between 1969 and 1972 were part of an luxuriant hoax .
As report by theAssociated Press , Rogozin ’s comment was not made in a declarative speech , but rather in response to an audience motion about the possibility of the NASA Moon confederacy , which continues to be popular in Russia . While speaking , he simper and shrugged in a wry fashion .
Announced in 2015 , Roscosmos ’ revitalized lunar program will kick into high cogwheel when the unmanned Luna 25 lander arrives at the Moon ’s south pole , from which the vehicle will search potential man mission landing place web site . Initially aim in 1997 , Luna 25 is slat to set up in 2024 .
Currently , however , Roscosmos issidetracked by issuesinvolving the Soyuz capsule system that transports astronauts to and from the International Space Station .
Meanwhile , in yet another yes - this - really - happened feat , yesterday good afternoon , NASA’sInSight landertouched down on the airfoil of Mars , in a turgid volcanic champaign call in Elysium Planitia . Loaded with a bevy of instruments that will enquire the Red Planet ’s interior and dental plate plate tectonics ( shifts of which are endearingly forebode Marsquakes ) , InSight is the eighth NASA rover to land successfully on Mars .
Just minutes after it seamlessly fulfill the “ seven moment of threat ” automated landing place protocol at 2.53pm EST ( 7.53pm GMT ) on November 26 , InSight send backits first imageof the equator - straddling volcanic region .
The stationary rover is schedule for operations up to November 2020 , but like the arithmetic mean - defyingCuriosity rover(nowon class sixand tally of an to begin with two - year planned mission ) , InSight may continue investigations for some clip after .
