If film can be ruined on a car dashboard in summer, how could it survive on a surface hotter than boiling water? And how would a person in a suit not overheat? [1]
1969
Modified cameras
NASA’s Hasselblads are silvered and adapted for vacuum.
THE CLAIM / TEMPERATURE
Why the film did not melt and the suits did not cook.

RECORD / AT A GLANCE
FALSE
In a vacuum, heat moves slowly without air. The cameras and film were insulated and silvered, and the suits had water-cooled underwear. Crews landed in the lunar morning, when the ground was not at its hottest.
THE EVENTS / THE CLAIM / THE RECORD
1969
NASA’s Hasselblads are silvered and adapted for vacuum.
READ THE FILE
Film melts in a hot car.
Vacuum, silver and water.
Open an article for its evidence, labeled AI assessment and numbered sources. Read the complete static edition ↗
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE
2 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.
In vacuum, heat moves slowly; cameras were silvered and film was in magazines.
Who says it: Hoax books.
Suits had water-cooled garments and sublimators.
Who says it: Hoax books.
OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
NASA technical history establishes the measuring plate and camera modifications. It does not provide a forensic verdict on every scan.
NASA-hosted report describes liquid cooling and the sublimator. It does not mean every item of camera equipment had active cooling.
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Film melts in a hot car.
If film can be ruined on a car dashboard in summer, how could it survive on a surface hotter than boiling water? And how would a person in a suit not overheat? [1]
NASA technical history establishes the measuring plate and camera modifications. It does not provide a forensic verdict on every scan.
Vacuum, silver and water.
On Earth, hot air heats everything it touches. In a vacuum there is no air, so heat moves only by radiation and direct contact. A camera does not take on the temperature of the ground. [2]
The Hasselblads were silver-coated to reflect sunlight, and the film was in magazines. [2] The suits had a liquid cooling garment laced with water tubes, and a sublimator that dumped heat into space. [1]
The ground temperature also depended on the time of day. Landings were timed for the lunar morning, with the sun low in the sky.
NASA-hosted report describes liquid cooling and the sublimator. It does not mean every item of camera equipment had active cooling.
NASA technical history establishes the measuring plate and camera modifications. It does not provide a forensic verdict on every scan.
Approved reader comments and ratings appear here when JavaScript is on.