Sometimes it's best simply to suspend judgment.

While there is a definite distinction between the Shakespeare theories and the moon hoax, the difference in availability of information is not so important. True, we may not know much about Shakespeare. And there will be plenty of people willing to fill that void with speculation. But while the Apollo program has voluminous documentation, not many people seek it out. Having it available and actually using it are two different things.

Now in serious scholarship it makes all the difference in the world. Even Kathman must, at times, say, "You'll just have to decide what you want to believe, because there is no conclusive evidence." But the layman may be as underinformed about Apollo as he is about Shakespeare, only in this case because he doesn't know where the information is, he doesn't understand it, or he isn't motivated to look for it.

I know very little about medicine. That's not because medical information is lacking. There are reams of it. Heavens, there's a medical school less than two miles from my house with a spacious library. But I'm not very interested in medicine. And when I read it, I don't understand most of it.

This means I'm prey to any flim-flam argument that might capitalize on my ignorance. Somebody could tell me whatever he wanted about stem cells and I wouldn't know if he were telling the truth or spinning the biggest lie on the face of the earth.

Most people aren't photographers. Most people aren't rocket scientists. Most people aren't geologists. People who aren't those things generally don't want to be those things. And good for them. Division of labor is the key to technological progress. I'm glad someone out there is just as excited about stem cells as I am about thrust structures and DCT compression.

But it means that although information is readily available, it won't always be used. And that provides an opening for people who might want to misrepresent that information for fun and profit.

Nevertheless I am very glad that there is a wealth of easily available information on space travel and the Apollo program. It makes this hobby so much more fun and interesting.