Bizarre and Outlandish Claims and Conspiracies of the Moon

There is little doubt that the Moon is one of the most fascinating objects in the night sky. It is also at the center of some of the most outrageous and bizarre claims and conspiracies on record, not least just why NASA has not returned since the last moon landing in December 1972. Some of these conspiracies suggest there are the remains of alien bases and technology on the Moon, while others go even further and suggest there is an extraterrestrial presence on our cosmic satellite. Some researchers have even suggested that the Moon is not a natural satellite at all, but some kind of mechanical construct designed and built at an unknown location and placed in orbit by an unknown intelligence.

The fact is, though, even without these conspiracies, the Moon is a celestial body full of anomalies. While some people might be familiar with them, before we explore some of these outrageous conspiracies and claims of our celestial satellite, it is worth quickly going over some of the truly anomalous facts about the Moon.

It is, for example, exactly 400 times smaller than the sun, and its distance from the Earth, relative to the overall distance to the sun, is also exactly 1/400th. It is worth noting that these figures are not approximate - they are exact. It is because of these astounding dimensions that total eclipses are experienced here on Earth. Moreover, if these dimensions were out in any way whatsoever, this wouldn’t be possible. Incidentally, we should also take note that the chances of these specific dimensions occurring naturally are zillions to one. What’s more, these figures and dimensions are not seen in any other known moon. Even its perfectly circular orbit is unique (most moons’ orbits are elliptical) and its rotation around the planet is such that one side permanently remains hidden from us.

Looking a little closer, the many craters on the lunar surface create further problems in our understanding of the Moon. These craters, of which there are many, are for the most part, very similar in depth, and relatively shallow at that. In terms of our understanding of modern science, these craters should be much more varied, with at least some showing greater depth at the impact point, which should be the outcome for a naturally formed rocky terrestrial body. Many researchers suggest that it is the absolute high velocity of the meteor strikes that creates these crater anomalies. However, the actual reason for this, at least according to some researchers, both inside and outside the mainstream, is because the Moon is not naturally occurring at all, but a hollow object with a metallic “casing” beneath an artificial rocky surface.  

Perhaps one of the most interesting considerations is how the Moon came to orbit the Earth in the first place. Accepted thinking suggests a small planet or large moon collided with Earth millions of years ago, causing the Moon to form out of the debris of such a collision, which then settled into its current orbit. However, not only because of the remarkable zillion-to-one dimensions and distances of the Moon we highlighted earlier but also because of several other anomalies, many people question just how true it is that the Moon was simply a “happy accident” and a product of coincidence. In fact, some people have even questioned if the Moon was purposely “placed” into orbit, perhaps even by an unknown intelligence. Author William Roy Shelton stated:

“It is important to remember that something had to put the moon in or near its current circular pattern around the Earth. It is very unlikely that any object just stumbles on the right combination of factors needed to help an object stay in orbit. ‘Something’ had to put the moon on its altitude, on its course and speed. The question is, what was that ‘something?”

Issac Asimov, a Russian professor of biochemistry, made similar comments when he wrote:

“… we cannot help but come to the conclusion that the Moon, by rights, ought not to be there. The fact that it is, is one of those strokes of luck almost too good to accept…Small planets, such as Earth, with weak gravitational fields, might well lack satellites…In general, then, when a planet does have satellites, those satellites are much smaller than the planet itself. Therefore, there would be every reason to suspect (the Moon) would be a tiny world, perhaps 30 miles…but it is a giant satellite, 2,160 miles in diameter. How is it, then, that tiny Earth has one?”

There are plenty of other people who have expressed similar sentiments. NASA scientist, Robin Brett stated that “it seems easier to explain the non-existence of the Moon than its existence,” while Irwin Shapiro from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics offered that “the best explanation for the Moon is an observational error!”

Perhaps some of the most intriguing and thought-provoking claims are those that suggest the Moon is a hollow object. Of course, if the Moon were hollow, it would suggest it was artificial, as Carl Sagan noted, “A natural satellite cannot be a hollow object!”

Perhaps one of the first people to legitimately question whether the Moon could be a hollow object was NASA scientist, Dr. Gordon MacDonald, who wrote in 1962, “If the astronomical data are reduced, it is found that the data require that the interior of the Moon be less dense than the outer parts. Indeed, it would seem that the Moon is more like a hollow than a homogeneous sphere!”

In November 1969, when Apollo 12 left the Moon, rocket boosters were purposely jettisoned into the surface where seismic measuring equipment had been set up to record and measure the impact. To say scientists were shocked by the returning data would be an understatement. It was noted that the Moon “reverberated like a bell” for almost an hour following the impact—something that would only be seen in a hollow object.

Indeed, as we can see, the Moon has undoubtedly been an object of fascination since the beginnings of the human race…or has it? Without a doubt, one of the most thought-provoking claims about the Moon is that at some point in human history, it didn’t exist. There was, essentially, a time before the Moon. As we might imagine, almost all mainstream historians and astronomers reject such an idea that there was once a time in (relatively speaking) recent history – certainly recent enough to be human history – when the Moon was not in orbit around our planet, not least as, at least as far as our current understanding of the world is, life on Earth would be almost impossible without it. However, while we most certainly should treat such considerations with caution, there are some intriguing and thought-provoking arguments to be made.

We might consider, for example, that this “time before the Moon” was when a now-lost civilization called the planet home. Perhaps backing this up somewhat are the many legends and myths of such a time and just such a civilization from around the world. Many researchers suggest that such legends hold at least partial truths within them, with one such researcher – Michael Tellinger – stating that these legends of a time before the Moon could very well be one of humanity’s earliest collective memories.

One of the earliest accounts of a time before the Moon comes from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In his history of the Arcadian region in Greece, he refers the Pelasgians, a civilization, he claimed, who had resided in the area “since very old times,” during a time “when the Moon did not exist!” Moreover, Aristotle wasn’t the only ancient Greek philosopher to have spoken of such a time. Apollonios, for example, wrote of a time when the Moon didn’t orbit the Earth and even when all the celestial objects were yet to be present in the sky. During this time, the only civilization on Earth was the Pelasgians, who resided in the mountains of Arcadia.

Is it really possible that the Pelasgians did exist? And if so, did they reside on Earth before the Moon orbited the planet? Once more, current knowledge suggests that life on Earth would be almost impossible. Could the Pelasgians, however, have managed to survive in Arcadia, perhaps one of the few habitable locations on Earth? Might they have even lived under the ground, perhaps giving birth to the many legends of an ancient civilization living inside the “Inner Earth”? Or might we even consider that this civilization was not entirely human and was of extraterrestrial origin, perhaps even with connections to “the Gods” themselves? Perhaps above all else, though, if the Pelasgians did exist, just how long ago were they present on Earth? Could it be tens of thousands of years ago, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years?

We can find another writer from antiquity who speaks of a time before the Moon in Plutarch, who wrote of a “time before the birth of Zeus” when the “Arcadians possessed their land,” adding that “these folk are older than the Moon!” Hippolytus also made similar statements, offering that the Arcadians “brought forth Pelasgus,” the ancestor of the Pelasgians, who are “of greater antiquity than the Moon!” While perhaps not endorsing the claim, in his work Astrology, Lukianos also states that “the Arcadians foolishly claim they are older than the Moon!”

There are also such claims to be found in Biblical writings. In the Book of Job, for example, it states that “the Lord makes peace in the heights” during a time “before there was a Moon and it did not shine!” In Psalms, there is also a passage that states “since the time of the Sun and before the time of the Moon”, an era that was said to be “a generation of generations ago” – seemingly a length of time that is perhaps so great that it is immeasurable.

Similar claims are found in many other ancient writings and creation stories around the world, including other Biblical stories, such as The Flood. Just one example is the oral traditions of the Colombian civilizations in the Bogota highlands of South America, which speak of the “earliest times when the Moon was not yet in the Heavens!”

If we turn our attention to the Zulu legends from Africa, we find even more remarkable accounts of a time before the Moon. Their legends state that the Moon was brought to the Earth thousands of years ago by two extraterrestrial brothers named Wowane and Mpanku. We might note that this story of two extraterrestrial brothers coming to Earth thousands of years ago is remarkably similar to the accounts of the Anunnaki from ancient Sumer, which speaks of two brothers, Enlil and Enki, who “descended from the Heavens” and ruled over the Earth. Could this once again suggest that Pelasgians – if they are the same ancient civilization described around the world – were of extraterrestrial origin? Another interesting detail is that the Pelasgians’ language was described as “barbaric!” Could this description have been so because it was simply incomprehensible to humanity because it was, quite literally, an alien language?

With the detail of an alien race bringing the Moon to Earth in deep antiquity in mind, we should turn to the ancient writings and symbols in the courtyard of Kalasasaya in Bolivia, a site said to be around 15,000 years old. The ancient writings there suggest that the Moon was “brought to Earth” many thousands of years ago. What’s more, it replaced a smaller moon that had been orbiting Earth previously. If there is any truth in such legends, might this explain how civilizations could have existed before the Moon we see today (Lunar) because another moon was present in the skies before that which provided the stabilization needed for life to flourish? It is also possible that the arrival of this new moon could have caused temporary cataclysmic events on Earth, which could also have given rise to such legends as The Flood, and even the lost civilization of Atlantis.

What is further interesting about the idea of a second (or previous) moon orbiting Earth before the arrival of our current moon is that several researchers have put forward genuine suggestions that Earth could have had a moon – perhaps even several – before our current moon “arrived” and began its orbit. Some have gone even further, offering that our current moon could have collided with one of these previous moons before settling into its orbit. Do these theories, if they were to be true, offer corroboration to the legends in the courtyard of Kalasasaya? We might also consider just how many records of the Americas, particularly those of South America, were lost to the actions of the Spanish conquistadors, who destroyed almost all of the records of the respective civilizations of the continent. Many of these records could very well have told us much more about our collective history than many of us could perhaps imagine, including of a time before the Moon. We should also note that in antiquity, writing was not as widespread, or as cheap as it is today. Indeed, it was costly to record information, and time-consuming. As such, writing – at least official records and documentation – was reserved for events that were of great importance and not fanciful stories. We might consider, then, that such ancient writings that speak of a time before the Moon should be contemplated a little more seriously.  

We have already explored what an anomaly the Moon is. Could it be so because its history and origins are much more explosive, fascinating, and far-reaching than current mainstream thinking suggests it is? And could there have been a time in human history when the Moon didn’t exist, at least not in our skies?

The suggestion that the Moon was brought to Earth by an extraterrestrial race was not only made in ancient times. Alex Collier, for example, offered that his research suggested that the Moon was, in fact, a transport ship that brought “reptilians, human-reptilian hybrids, and the first humans to set foot on Earth!” He made the claims, along with several others, in the book Letters from Andromeda, a book he put together, he claimed, through telepathic communication with extraterrestrial entities from a constellation called Zenetae. Of the Moon as it is today, he wrote:

“The Moon is hollow. It contains huge underground facilities built by E.T.’s and later humans from Earth. There are seven openings into the Moon’s crust and the underground bases. Conservative scientists have wondered why so many craters seem so shallow, despite their size. The Andromedans say it’s because much of the surface was built on top of a metallic shell of a circular space crest; or “A War Carrier”, as the Andromedans describe it!”

Collier also claimed that bases from this ancient war – which raged 113,000 years ago - remained in ruins on the Moon, adding that both extraterrestrials and humans are living on the Moon “right now” in underground bases that housed over 30,000 people and contained several “great lakes!” Even more remarkable were his claims that there were plans to send many more people to the Moon in the future. Moreover, he claimed that advanced weapons, vehicles, and anti-gravity technologies were tested on the Moon and that over 50 “Earth-built spacecraft” were housed there.

Whether he meant to or not, Collier also appears to corroborate some of the many conspiracies regarding secret societies of the world elite and their private missions to and on the Moon when he wrote:

“When the Apollo astronauts landed on the moon, the World Order had been there for some time. This knowledge and technology was withheld from the lower levels of NASA and our military. NASA has been used as a blind to keep people from truly knowing what was going on there. The astronauts were silenced under threats and remain so today!”

While most dismiss Collier’s claims, they are thought-provoking, perhaps, particularly his claims of secret societies and their equally secret missions to the Moon. It has been claimed by some that these secret societies have retained knowledge that goes back to the crusades of the Knights Templar in the twelfth century and preserved before that since Biblical times. Researcher and author Mike Bara made very similar claims in his book Ancient Aliens and JFK: The Race to the Moon and the Kennedy Assassination. Before we move on to those, it is worth briefly examining the Apollo 11 moon landing mission and the alleged Masonic rituals and practices that surrounded it.

The fact is that the Freemasons had, at the very least, an active interest in the Apollo missions was no secret. In the November 1969 edition of The New Age Magazine, Buzz Aldrin – one of the men who would eventually walk on the Moon – was featured speaking of his Masonic connections, with one particular quote stating, “When man reaches new worlds, Masonry will be there!” Moreover, it wasn’t just Aldrin of the NASA astronauts who had such alleged Masonic and secret society connections. Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr, Virgil Grissom, and Donn Eisele were all said to be Freemasons, while John Glenn was also rumored to be a member of another secret society.

If we move on to the moon landings themselves, the landing site – the Sea of Tranquility – was selected due to the flat surface which made landing easier. However, in the decades that have passed since, some researchers have suggested there could have been other reasons for this specific selection. One of the people not only responsible for selecting the landing destination, as well as planning multiple other aspects of the moon landings, was Farouk El-Baz, right down to developing the strict timings of the launch window and actual landing itself. Not only was El-Baz a Freemason, but his father was an expert in ancient Egyptian rituals, which makes for interesting reading when some of the conspiracies surrounding the moon landings are explored.

The landing site, for example, including the exact time and date, was meticulously worked out so that at exactly 33 minutes after landing, Orion’s Belt would be perfectly aligned with the Moon’s horizon. Of course, the fact that it was worked out that this occurred 33 minutes after landing is yet another sign of Masonic involvement when we remember how important the number 33 is in Freemasonry (representative of the 33rd degree Freemasons of the Scottish Rite), and it is not the only time the number 33 surfaces. The launchpad where the Apollo 11 mission began, Launchpad 33, is a good example (of further interest when the first shuttle returned to Earth, it landed on Runway 33).    

As well as the alleged rituals, it is also claimed by some that Aldrin left various Masonic “gifts” on the Lunar surface, all of which contained very specific Masonic symbols and were an apparent offering to Osiris. Furthermore, after landing back on Earth he is said to have “gifted” a Masonic scarf that had been “blessed” as part of a ritual on the Lunar surface to the Scottish Rite Masonic Lodge in Washington DC.

Another detail about the moon landings is the moon rocks that were brought to Earth by the Apollo astronauts – many of which have suspiciously “gone missing!” Some researchers have suggested that the missing moon rocks were not moon rocks at all, but ancient alien technology – technology that, at least according to some researchers, was the real reason the moon landings went ahead in the first place.

Claims of ancient alien technology on the Moon lead us very nicely into one of the most interesting people of the Masonic conspiracies surrounding the moon landings – James Edwin Webb. Webb served as NASA’s administrator from 1961 to 1968, leaving right before the Apollo 11 moon landing. Like many others involved in the Apollo program – and NASA, in general – Webb was a known Freemason and began placing fellow Masons into positions of power almost as soon as he took the position with NASA. Moreover, according to the previously mentioned Mike Bara, he is arguably at the center of not only the moon landing conspiracy but the assassination of President John Kennedy. Ultimately, it is claimed that the reason, at least partially, behind Kennedy’s assassination was his desire to pursue a joint American-Soviet mission to land on the Moon – and the reason why the alleged shadow government of the United States chose such a drastic course of action was because of their knowledge of ancient alien technology in alien bases on the lunar surface left by none other than the Anunnaki, the gods of ancient Sumer.

Whatever the reason, Webb wasn’t alone in immensely disliking even the idea of a joint mission to the Moon with the Soviet Union. Another person was Congressman Albert Thomas, a close friend of Webb’s, and someone with ties to fellow Texan and Vice President Lyndon Johnson. He had publicly stated his opposition to any joint space missions with the Soviet Union, and because of his position, he would have had complete access to the budget and direction of NASA, as well as, unofficially, of course, influencing its direction.

In his book Ancient Aliens and JFK, Mike Bara includes a photograph that, while not offering conclusive proof, is highly suggestive of some kind of plot involving Thomas and Johnson (as well as many others). The picture was taken in the seconds following Lyndon Johnson being sworn as President of the United States, and only hours after John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. You can see Johnson turning to look over his right shoulder towards none other than Albert Thomas, who, rather than having a solemn, shocked look on his face like almost everyone else in the room, appears to be smirking and winking at Johnson. Although we can’t see (now) President Johnson’s face, his left cheek is raised slightly, as if he is smiling back at Thomas – almost as if they knew something and realized the plan had come together just as they desired. It is also worth pointing out that Johnson, like almost everyone else we have mentioned here, was a Freemason (a member of the 33-degree Scottish Rite Freemasons). It is important to point out that these actions or those of individuals who happened to be Freemasons and not actions condoned or supported by Freemasonry in general.

While such claims are undoubtedly up for debate, if there was any truth in the suggestion that members of a secret society (not necessarily the Freemasons – these individuals could have been Masons and also members of another, unknown organization) orchestrated a mission to the moon to retrieve ancient alien technology – technology that they became aware through their secret society connections and that knowledge of had been guarded and handed down for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, then it forces to reassess so many aspects of our world, history, and reality.

Here it is worth our time to briefly explore the remote viewing experiments of Ingo Swann, who was one of the CIA’s most skilled remote viewers during the 1970s and eighties as part of the Project Stargate program that aimed to, essentially, keep a close eye through remote viewing on their Cold War adversaries the Soviet Union. One particular episode, however, in February 1975, is of particular interest to us here.

Swann was approached by a mysterious individual who introduced himself as Mr. Axelrod, informing him that he was required to work on a top-secret remote viewing mission. A month passed before Swann heard from Axelrod again. This time, Swann was told to meet him at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., which Swann agreed to. Once there, a car promptly pulled up and Mr. Axelrod got out, and confirmed who he was to Swann before asking him to get into the car. At this point, they were driven to an unknown location somewhere just outside of the city where a helicopter was seemingly waiting for them. Before boarding the helicopter, however, Swann was blindfolded and told that where he was going was an ultra-secret location.

After the helicopter touched down on the ground, still blindfolded, Swann was led to what seemed to be an elevator. A moment later, he felt the lift descending, a journey that seemed to take a considerable amount of time, leading Swann to conclude that he was being taken to a secret underground military facility. Then, the elevator came to a sudden stop and the doors opened. Swann was led to a room a short distance away and the blindfold was finally removed. There, standing in front of him, was Mr. Axelrod.

Here, Mr. Axelrod introduced himself properly, offering that his name was indeed a pseudonym and that his real identity was protected given the nature of his work. He then began to question Swann about remote viewing, asking him all kinds of questions, including how he achieved his results. Eventually, he told Swann bluntly that he was prepared to offer him a lot of money for his services. Although he didn’t feel it was an offer he could refuse, Swann accepted the invite. Then, Axelrod began to question Swann and what he knew about the Moon. Following this brief conversation, Swann was then given a piece of paper with coordinates written on it and asked to “remote view” what was there.

Swann focused on the coordinates and soon found himself “leaving the Earth” and heading to the Moon, specifically, the dark or far side. Moments later, much to his shock, he could see tall buildings and huge glass dome-like structures. He went towards one of these structures and went inside. As soon as he did so, he could see there were living entities inside. He began describing what he was seeing to Axelrod who listened intently. When Swann offered that whoever the living entities were they were “aware of his presence” Axelrod suddenly became animated, insisting to Swann that he should “come away from there right now!”

Swann suddenly felt uncomfortable by the entire experience and quickly found himself rushing back to his physical body. After taking a moment to come to his senses, he asked Axelrod what exactly he had just seen, and asked if there was a colony of some kind on the far side of the Moon. Axelrod, though, simply remained quiet, now having returned to his ultra-calm demeanor. Swann asked again, this time adding that he thought the living entities could have been extraterrestrial. To this, Axelrod simply replied, “Isn’t that something, huh?” He then left the room and Swann was returned to the city.        

Whether or not there are extraterrestrial bases on the Moon or not remains open to debate. There are, though, many intriguing anomalies on the lunar surface – anomalies that many people believe are artificial structures. These structures are thought-provoking to say the least. Some people, for example, have claimed they have spotted pyramid-like structures on the surface of the moon, structures that appear to be too precise to be the result of geological processes.

Near the Aristarchus Crater is another apparent artificial structure known as the Tower of Babel. As its name suggests, this alleged building is a towering, column-like formation that appears to be of significant height (some estimates suggest it is as tall as seven miles high), although skeptics argue that this tower-like appearance could be, essentially, a trick of the light, making what is, they say, a natural rock formation appear much larger than it actually is. A similar alleged artificial structure can be found in the Ina Caldera region. Known as the Ina Bridge, this bridge-like structure appears to be an artificial structure – essentially, a bridge connecting two parts of the lunar surface.

Another apparent anomaly on the surface of the Moon is known as The Shard, which appears similar to the previously mentioned Tower of Babel in that it seems to tower above the Moon’s surface. To some people, this is clear evidence of some kind of alien outpost or possibly even proof of a civilization that once called the Moon home. Although skeptics have claimed – as usual – that The Shard is nothing more than an optical illusion, the fact that it appears to cast a shadow would suggest that whatever it is, it is something real and physically there. It is also worth mentioning the castle-like structure, unsurprisingly dubbed The Castle, that was captured in one of the images of the Apollo missions. What has perplexed many who have viewed the picture is that this seemingly artificial structure seems to be somehow floating above the Moon’s surface.  

At this point, it would be beneficial to explore one of the strangest of all conspiracies surrounding the Moon – those of the “secret” Apollo missions that ran, at least according to some, under the name Project Horizon. The origins of the project go back to the 1950s and looked to build a permanent base on the lunar surface. It was brought to a close not long after, but some people have suggested that the project continued to operate behind closed doors – specifically following the official closure of the Apollo missions. Although Apollo 17 was the last official Apollo mission, some researchers have suggested that the Apollo 18, 19, and 20 missions went ahead in secret without the public being aware of them. While it is easy to dismiss such claims as outlandish nonsense, it is interesting to note that the three missions (18,19, and 20) had already been budgeted and paid for when they were scrapped, something which simply made no financial sense.

Although information on the alleged secret missions is limited, it is claimed that the Apollo 18 and 19 missions did indeed find evidence of alien bases on the lunar surface (some sources claim that Apollo 19 was lost in a collision during its respective mission). During the alleged Apollo 20 mission, however, they discovered not only the remains of alien bases and technology but of a female alien humanoid. One of the alleged pilots on these discreet Apollo missions – William Rutledge – released a video on YouTube in 2007 that appeared to show parts of the Apollo 20 mission, including footage of the “alien girl” they discovered.

Several years after the release of the footage, in 2011, Italian UFO researcher, Luca Scantamburio investigated the case and spoke directly with Rutledge, who told him that he wasn’t employed for the missions by NASA but by the United States Air Force. He elaborated that he had previously “worked on the study of foreign technology – Russian only,” as well as working on the N1 Project, the AJAX plane project, and the MIG Foxbat 25. He further stated that he “had some skills for using computer navigation and was a volunteer for the MOL-Gemini Project!” Even stranger, especially when we consider the claims that President Kennedy was assassinated – at least in part – because of his desire to embark on a joint moon landing mission, Rutledge stated that the Apollo 20 mission was a joint American-Soviet mission and launched in 1976 (a year, incidentally, after the famous “Handshake in Space” that saw American astronauts meet Soviet cosmonauts during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in the summer of 1975).  

Rutledge detailed how the Apollo 20 mission headed to the Delporte-Izsak region on the far side of the Moon. Almost as soon as they touched down and ventured outside, they made remarkable discovery after remarkable discovery. They found, for example, the crashed and crippled remains of an “ancient spacecraft” that they estimated was around two and a half miles long. Not far from the remains of this crashed craft they came upon the remains of what appeared to be an old and abandoned city – a location they referred to as Moon City but was labelled Station One by those in charge of the mission on Earth.

When they ventured into the city and explored some of the buildings, they discovered that it was littered with what they described as “space garbage” and various gold parts of scrap (we might note – if there is any truth to the idea that the Anunnaki constructed the bases on the moon, the discovery of gold makes a certain amount of sense given their desire to mine gold on Earth, as well as its value for space travelers). One building, however, appeared to be relatively undamaged and largely intact – a building they named The Cathedral. The most enthralling discoveries, though, occurred when they returned to the ruined spacecraft and prepared to investigate inside.

Upon entering the craft, they discovered several strange triangular rocks, as well as what appeared to be vegetation growing inside the vehicle (this notion of vegetation inside a UFO, as bizarre as it sounds, has surfaced in several other reports of close UFO encounters, with one particular incident from the United Kingdom in the mid-1970s suggesting this vegetation was somehow connected to the propulsion of the craft). They also found the bodies of several “small beings, (each) about four inches long” that seemed to “spend their lives in tubes!” These strange beings were discovered throughout the vehicle.

Without a doubt, the most remarkable discovery, however, was of two humanoid bodies. One of these was “destroyed” although it was unclear what had happened or caused such damage (the crew preserved the head of this first body). The other, however, was undamaged and well-preserved. The crew eventually dubbed this second humanoid Mona Lisa. Rutledge elaborated that Mona Lisa was in some “state of suspended animation (and was) neither dead nor alive!” Ultimately, the crew decided to transfer this female humanoid to their craft. Rutledge informed Scantamburlo that he didn’t remember who had named the girl Mona Lisa, whether it was himself or Leonov (a cosmonaut), but he could recall that she was around five and a half feet tall with long hair and five fingers and a thumb, which led them to guess that “their mathematics are based on 12” as opposed to ten, like humans.

He continued that she was clearly a pilot and that there was a “piloting device fixed to (her) fingers and eyes!” They removed this device, which included having to cut through two cables that were connected to the nose. After doing this, “concretions of blood or biological liquid erupted and froze from the mouth, nose, eyes, and some (other) parts of the body!” It also appeared that the humanoid’s skin was “protected by a thin transparent film!” Although none of the crew had medical training, they decided to fix their bio equipment to the body of Mona Lisa, and the “telemetry received by (the) mission control meds was positive!” In other words, she was alive. He finally stated that she was returned to Earth with the Apollo 20 vehicle where she remains today (at the time of speaking).

Interestingly or not, Rutledge half-acknowledged how bizarre and outlandish his claims sounded, but he insisted he was genuine, stating, “I’m the whistleblower. What can NASA or the United States Air Force do now? Blocking or suing me would be an acknowledgment. They can (only) speak of a hoax or fiction!” It is certainly something to think about.

It is perhaps fitting to end by exploring future visits to the Moon, or more to the point, locations that are said to be “off-limits” to any future moon landing missions. While there are several locations that have been officially designated as restricted, several whistleblowers have come forward over the years stating that NASA has ulterior motives for designating these locations as forbidden and that they have several other “unofficial” locations that they seek to avoid any missions exploring.

We know, for example, that Tranquility Base – the landing site for the Apollo 11 mission – is under the protection of these laws as initiated by the United States government, and is akin to a cosmic cultural heritage site that might one day be visited by future astronauts, and perhaps, as technology develops, will be a destination for space tourists. However, some people have questioned NASA’s true motives for putting the destination off-limits, offering that the real reason is to protect against the discovery of the remains of ancient alien bases and technology. This speculation becomes even more intriguing when we factor in the alleged recordings of Armstrong and Aldrin discussing seeing alien vehicles on the lunar surface (although debate remains as to exactly what was being discussed and indeed if the recording is authentic).

What about these other locations, though? One such alleged forbidden lunar destination is the Mendeleev Ridge, which could very well hold an abundance of information about past volcanic activity on the Moon. However, it has also been suggested that the location would be ideal for building hidden lunar bases – ones built by humans under highly secret space programs. A similar location is the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex on the Moon’s far side. This volcanic structure likely holds similar information, with some scientists arguing that it could have been active (relatively) recently. Like the Mendeleev Ridge, though, it would be another ideal location for discreetly built structures. Moreover, the location could also be home to highly valuable materials and minerals that could be discreetly transported back to Earth.

We can find another highly interesting and, to some, suspicious location near the center of the Moon’s near side in the Sinus Medii region. While we should treat the claims with caution, some have claimed that highly advanced and secret observation equipment has been left here monitoring events on Earth, as well as equally advanced lunar facilities. Furthermore, unlike some of the other locations we have looked at, there appears to be no good reason why NASA or any other organization would want access to the location restricted.

If we move to the Moon’s South Pole, we find the Leibnitz Plateau, another alleged off-limits location. This region sits on remarkably flat and elevated terrain, which once more has caused speculation of advanced lunar bases and even landing zones for advanced space vehicles being present there. There are also several craters that, at least according to some, have been designated as no-go areas. One such location is the Tycho Crater, while another is the Tsiolkovsky Crater. Once more, there could be very reasonable reasons as to why NASA would wish to keep such areas preserved, not least the possibility of studying ice deposits there. However, like many of the volcanic regions, such craters would present the option for discreet lunar bases.

Only time will tell if these, and other, locations of the Moon will be studied up close and transparently. For all of the missions to the lunar surface, the majority of the Moon remains unexplored and uncharted, at least officially. And perhaps because of that, such conspiracies and wild claims as we have examined here are allowed to flourish in that void of information. That is not to say that there might not be at least some truth to some of those claims – as we have established, the Moon is a genuine anomaly that, for all the official theories, remains largely unexplained.

Could the Moon have been placed in orbit by an unknown intelligence, and is that intelligence still present on the Moon today? Could our cosmic satellite be an artificial construct, something more akin to a space station that once brought extraterrestrials to Earth many thousands of years ago? And, if so, did it replace our natural Moon that had sustained life on Earth perhaps for many thousands of years before that? The fact is, there remain many unanswered questions about the Moon, its origin, and whether it might have served as a colony for an ancient space-faring civilization. While many of the claims about the Moon we have examined here should be treated with caution and are, admittedly, unlikely, they remain a possibility and a part of the mystery of the already fascinating object in our night sky.