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space spying
nasa
and the
conspiracy
Theory
The declassified documents
about NASA’s secret
relationships with intelligence
agencies and military agencies
are true and the meaning can
well be determined from its
contents and contexts, writes
Sanjib Sinha
ASA and civilian space research takes precedence, rather than proof. conspiracy theories about NASA and the US
have become almost synony- Conspiracy Theories are based on closed government. He claimed advanced civiliza-
mous. However, the popularity has system and shut the door for further scien- tions exist or at least existed on the Moon,
Ndrawn a lot of conspiracy theories tific probe. This closed system is unfalsifi- Mars and on some other planets or on their
around it. All the conspiracy theories about able and hence no matter what comes on moons. He also claims that NASA and the
NASA are not scientific and they cannot be its way it does not care. Something has been US government have jointly suppressed the
determined from its contents and contexts. assumed and that is final. truth and kept those facts secret.
They are nothing but pseudo-science. You may associate conspiracy theories One of such conspiracy theories claim
The declassified documents about with certain kind of practices, which once that there were nuclear wars on the Moon
NASA’s secret relationships with intelli- Machiavelli had practiced in Florence once or Mars and those places still show signs of
gence agencies and military agencies are upon a time. You say something (not true al- destructions. Hoagland also believes that
true and the meaning can well be deter- ways) again and again, after a certain period one day the government will disclose this
mined from its contents and contexts. One people start believing them. information.
should not associate it with any conspiracy The political doctrine of Machiavelli says, Unfortunately a broad cross-section
theories moving around NASA. any means (however unscrupulous) can of people still believe and give credence
Anyone can visit George Washington be used by a ruler in order to create and to at least some conspiracy theories. This
University’s National Security Archive and maintain his autocratic government. So the modern connected world has definitely
check the veracity of these declassified doc- less scrupulous conspiracy theorist always increased the figure of such conspiracy
uments. There is no ambiguity. The declas- tries to establish some unscientific facts theories. Besides unscientific texts, there
sified documents are clear and well defined. about NASA. are lots of videos, audios widely present on
One can not claim that they are not clear by the Web.
virtue of having more than one meaning. Nuclear war on Mars? The declassified documents stating
There are a few conspiracy theories round NASA’s secret relationships with intel-
What is conspiracy theory the web. You may feel tempted to read ligence and military agencies like CIA,
When the government supposedly carries them, but take them with a pinch of salt. DoD and NRO remove all ambiguities.
out any illegal act by violating legislation, Richard Charles Hoagland (born April 25, You should not confuse these true unam-
and the news come out in the open space, a 1945), is an American author who has writ- biguously proved facts with unscientific
conspiracy theory may be invoked without ten a few books on NASA’s activities. He conspiracy theories.
credible evidence. Here, a matter of faith is one of the many proponents of various letters@tehelka.com
Tehelka / 31 january 2019 23 www.Tehelka.com

