The world is celebrating 50 years since the first man stepped foot on the moon, but did it really happen?

There are many doubts about the Apollo 11 mission but experts assure us it really did happen.

PhD Candidate in Astrophysics at Swinburne University Renee Spiewak tells Ben Fordham despite the popularity of the conspiracy theories the moon landing “definitely took place”.

She has tackled the controversial moon landing conspiracy theories, starting with the most popular one…

If there is no wind on the moon, how is the American flag flapping in the photo?

Ms Spiewak says there is indeed no wind on the moon, just slow-acting gravity.

“We don’t actually see [the flag] flapping.

“On the moon, there’s very, very, weak gravity, so a flag would not hang after it’s disturbed by the people stabbing the pole in the ground, but it would take a while for it to actually fall.”

Why can’t we see any stars in the footage?

Ms Spiewak says we can thank technology for that one.

“That one’s because of the cameras themselves.

“Focusing on the people makes the stars blurred out, or not even visible.”

Is there any proof the moon rocks brought back are actually from the moon?

Ms Spiewak says there’s nowhere else they could have come from.

“It’s physically impossible for any of these to have come from the Earth.”

If we did land on the moon, what evidence did we leave behind?

Among the equipment left behind, Ms Spiewak tells Ben there are still human footprints left on the moon.

“The footprints that are in the dust on the moon have not been erased because there is no wind.. that would erode that.”

Well, why haven’t we gone back then?

Actually, a number of people did go to the moon after the successful Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

But, Ms Spiewak agrees it has been a while since the last person was sent to the moon.

“It’s partly funding, it’s partly because we have gone to the moon and we’ve gotten the scientific benefits out of it already.”

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Image: Getty/ Time & Life Pictures