The
Rebuttal: Debunking the
Conspiracy Theorists
3.1 The radiation in the van Allen
belts and in cis-lunar space would have killed the astronauts.
üThe
van Allen belts are regions above the Earth’s surface where the
Earth’s magnetic field has trapped particles of solar wind.
ü
üAn unprotected astronaut would get a lethal
dose if he stayed in the region long enough: the Apollo
spacecraft passed through the belts in an hour or
so.
ü
üThere wasn’t enough time to get a lethal
dose – as well, most of the radiation was blocked by the
hull.
ü
ü While
in cis-lunar space, the radiation dose received by the Apollo
astronauts was only a few rems.