Drake Maye’s moon landing skepticism sparks unexpected NASA response
The NFL quarterback’s unexpected comments about Apollo 11 quickly caught the attention of NASA’s top official
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has unexpectedly found himself at the center of a spaceflight debate after questioning whether Americans really landed on the moon.
During an appearance on WEEI’s Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson, Maye was asked about conspiracy theories. The conversation soon moved from football to Apollo 11, the historic 1969 mission that sent Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the Moon.
Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface, while Collins remained in orbit aboard the command module.
Maye stopped short of claiming that NASA fabricated the mission, but he did say he was “a little bit skeptical”.
“I don’t know about the moon, you know,” Maye said on the podcast. “I think I can see back in the day why we would put on the mask if we went there, but I’m not really sure 200% if we went there or not.
“I wouldn’t say I’m leaning one way or the other. I just know I’m a little bit skeptical.”
He also explained that he’d taken a conspiracy-theory class while attending the University of North Carolina and found it interesting.
The discussion then caught the attention of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman . Responding directly to a Boston 25 News post about Maye’s comments, Isaacman offered a pointed answer.
“I quite literally have the receipts,” Isaacman wrote.
The evidence behind Apollo 11
NASA’s historical record contains considerably more than photographs and television footage from Apollo 11. During the mission, Armstrong and Aldrin collected lunar rocks and soil, deployed scientific instruments and installed a laser-ranging retroreflector on the Moon.
Researchers on Earth can use lasers with the reflector to make highly precise measurements of the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Apollo 11 also wasn't an isolated event. NASA subsequently sent astronauts to five additional lunar landing sites, with crews conducting experiments, collecting geological samples and documenting the lunar environment.
In total, six Apollo missions successfully landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
The evidence supporting those missions therefore extends across physical samples, scientific experiments, photographs, communications, mission records and observations made by researchers over many years. Lunar samples returned by Apollo astronauts have also been studied extensively by scientists.
NASA has now turned its attention toward returning humans to the Moon through its Artemis program. The agency is targeting Artemis IV for 2028 as part of its broader effort to establish a sustained human presence around and on the lunar surface.
The planned mission is expected to take astronauts into lunar orbit and contribute to future surface exploration.
Maye’s comments were more of an expression of uncertainty than a firm accusation that NASA faked the Apollo missions, but his casual remarks during a football interview unexpectedly opened a much wider discussion about one of the most significant achievements in modern history.
