THE CLAIM / THE LANDER
Where is the blast pit, and why is there no dust on the footpads?
RECORD / AT A GLANCE
FALSE
The engine was throttled down to a fraction of its power and spread its exhaust over a wide area in a vacuum. It scoured the surface rather than digging a pit. Dust flew away instead of floating back.
THE EVENTS / THE CLAIM / THE RECORD
20 July 1969
Armstrong tells Houston the engine left no crater, just some scouring.
2005
A NASA report documents how dust affected Apollo hardware.
2026
NASA runs vacuum-chamber tests of plume and soil for Artemis landers.
READ THE FILE
A rocket landing should leave a hole.
Low thrust, vacuum and no air to carry dust.
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.
The engine was throttled down and the soil is firm under a thin dust layer.
Who says it: Kaysing, Fox 2001.
In vacuum, dust flew away on straight paths instead of settling.
Who says it: Hoax sites.
WATCH THE ORIGINAL
NASA Goddard · The descent film beside later orbital terrain. Watch the dust sheet outward at the end.
External links only. No embedded players, autoplay or tracking requests from the editorial page.
OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
Primary institutional record. Carried from the first edition and re-listed 23 October 2026; cited for the specific point in the text.
NASA2005 synthesis of Apollo experience, including descent erosion, visibility and contamination. Official NTRS PDF HTTP200 verified; older ALSJ and SMA mirrors failed in this check.
Primary institutional record. Carried from the first edition and re-listed 23 October 2026; cited for the specific point in the text.
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A rocket landing should leave a hole.
The descent engine could produce about 10,000 pounds of thrust. On Earth, rocket launches blast deep scars into the ground. A landing on powdery soil should dig a crater and cover the footpads in dust. [1]
Primary institutional record. Carried from the first edition and re-listed 23 October 2026; cited for the specific point in the text.
Low thrust, vacuum and no air to carry dust.
By touchdown the engine was throttled down to a fraction of its maximum, enough only to hold up a lander that weighed one-sixth as much as on Earth. In a vacuum the exhaust spreads out immediately, so its pressure on the ground is low. Armstrong described the result: no crater, but radial streaks where the soil had been blown away. [1]
Dust was a real problem. Apollo 12’s crew could barely see the ground through it during landing. [2] Without air, the dust flew outward in straight lines and fell, rather than billowing and settling on the footpads.
The engine was also cut off at, or just after, first contact. NASA is still testing how plumes and soil interact because Artemis landers are far bigger. [3]
What we can’t tell you. No exact excavation depth is claimed.
Primary institutional record. Carried from the first edition and re-listed 23 October 2026; cited for the specific point in the text.
NASA2005 synthesis of Apollo experience, including descent erosion, visibility and contamination. Official NTRS PDF HTTP200 verified; older ALSJ and SMA mirrors failed in this check.
Primary institutional record. Carried from the first edition and re-listed 23 October 2026; cited for the specific point in the text.
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