Do these photos from the Artemis II live feed convince you they’re a few thousand miles from the Moon, or do you think these are telescopic captures from Earth pasted onto the screen? What are your thoughts?
How they fooled us with Apollo
In honor of science fiction currently taking place in real time, in my opinion, I decided to share a few snippets from my 2022 novella, The Blue Marble, which sarcastically pokes fun at the starless appearance of outer space that continues to dominate NASA photography.
In my novella, the astronauts do manage to go off-world and travel to the Moon, but I do not believe that scenario is a possibility in our current realm of existence.
From the Novella The Blue Marble
By John Reizer
Interlude July 18, 1969 – Outer Space
The three NASA astronauts had been sleeping for several hours as Apollo 11 moved through the vacuum of space at the incredible speed of 25,000 miles per hour.
Michael Collins opened his eyes and was still surprised that none of the crew had been able to see visible starlight outside the capsule’s windows since they had left Low Earth Orbit.
The Apollo 11 crew had heard stories from other Apollo Astronauts that had gone beyond Low Earth Orbit that the stars weren’t visible in outer space. Still, until Michael Collins had witnessed the phenomenon with his own eyes, it had been hard for him to believe.
Outer space looked like a sea of blackness, not what Collins or his crewmates had expected.
While they orbited the Earth earlier in the mission, the stars were prominent. From that point forward, no starlight or anything else was visible other than the Earth’s Moon. The space capsule had been the best place in the universe to see stars, nebulae, and other celestial bodies. All of it disappeared, however, the instant they fired the external engines to push into outer space.
“What’s the matter, Mike?” Buzz Aldrin asked. He noticed Collins looking out one of the space capsule’s windows.
Collins turned to look at Aldrin before answering. “It’s just not what I expected,” he replied. “Is it what you expected?”
Aldrin looked out the capsule window Collins had been staring through moments earlier. “Honestly, Mike, it’s not like anything I ever imagined. I can’t figure it out either.”
From the Novella The Blue Marble
By John Reizer
Interlude July 27, 1969 – The Lunar Receiving Laboratory
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were playing checkers inside The Lunar Receiving Laboratory at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center when President Richard Nixon called via a special direct phone line from the White House.
“I want you to understand the importance and significance of your mission, gentlemen. What you did for your countrymen and government was of the utmost importance.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Neil as he double jumped Buzz and was grinning widely as he continued the conversation with the POTUS.
“The Blue Marble you recovered from The Sea of Tranquility and brought back to Earth has been resting on the lunar surface for thousands of years. It is an object that holds the keys to unlocking supernatural powers for anyone who possesses the artifact.
“As you know, the race to the Moon was always about the artifact, not about being first to plant a flag on the Moon like it was marketed in the mainstream.”
All three Apollo astronauts had abandoned the game of checkers at this point and fully turned their attention to the conference call.
“Since this is our first chance to speak on a secure line, I thought it would be prudent to discuss the artifact in some detail.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President, we are all honored to have the chance to discuss the object and its significance in Earth’s history,” said Neil. The three crewmates were seated in chairs facing one another with a conference speakerphone positioned on the center of the tabletop alongside the checkerboard.
“I don’t know where to start, gentlemen, but I think the best place might be at the story’s beginning.
“When we began the space program years ago, we had no idea what to expect. Our earlier missions, confined to Low Earth Orbits, didn’t prepare us too well for what we would come to encounter beyond those parameters.
“Then, when we breached those parameters for the first time, we were shocked to see a completely different presentation of space than what we believed was possible.
“Our previous Apollo astronauts told us about an outer space devoid of starlight. It was reported to be a vast ocean of blackness, a place without physical matter. You all witnessed that vast emptiness in your recent journey.
“We believe the Moon was positioned in that vast emptiness by another intelligence. We don’t know when or why it was placed there for certain. We have ideas, theories, and speculations about why the Moon is where it is. We believe that another civilization from Earth placed the satellite in its current position as a marker.”
Neil interjected. “A marker for what, Mr. President?” There was a slight pause before the POTUS replied.
“A marker to return home from ancient space expeditions. There’s no point of reference out there once you get beyond the visual field of Earth. It’s all blackness and no substance.
“We believe the Moon was built and positioned in its current location to help others before us to return to Earth from deep space journeys.
“Of all the people in the world who are alive, you and a few other Apollo Astronauts know the truth about our existence. Once you leave the planet’s atmosphere, no sun or starlight can be found.
“We also believe that whoever or whatever built the Moon created and placed additional moons in other locations in deeper regions of space. We now believe this ancient civilization’s goal was to create a pathway of substance that led back to Earth.”
“Mr. President,” Michael Collins interrupted. “What does all of this have to do with the artifact in The Sea of Tranquility?”
“I’m getting to that, Michael.” The POTUS paused for a few moments to regain his train of thought. “The information I will reveal to you right now is top-secret, classified information.
“The United States Government believes that outer space is an empty container. It is an illusion or a playing field of some kind. A few people in the know might call it a stadium. We are still trying to figure out the proper terminology to describe the environment accurately.
“I am trying to say that outer space appears to be, for all intents and purposes, an artificial construct that was designed and brought to fruition by computer programming.”
“What exactly does that mean, Mr. President?” Buzz Aldrin asked.
“It means we might very well be the chess pieces to a cosmic gameboard.”
The three astronauts stared at one another and then glanced down almost simultaneously at the checkerboard game on the table in front of them.
“And what about the artifact, Sir? What might that be?” Neil asked.
The POTUS cleared his throat before speaking. “The Blue Marble, gentlemen, might just be the brain or central processing unit behind the entire game!”
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