It was one small step for a man and one giant leap for mankind. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong put his left foot on the Moon and created the first human footprint there. But a new Moon landing conspiracy theory has emerged, suggesting that he didn’t even wear the space boots required to take that step.

To support the claim, these twisted minds are comparing a photo of Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit (taken in 2015 by astronomer Phil Plait at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum) with a shot from the space exploration mission itself.

While Armstrong and the other crew members did wear the Apollo/Skylab A7L suit pictured above, they had more gear. Namely, overshoes with treaded soles. And for the record, the footprint in the other photograph isn’t even Armstrong’s. According to NASA, it belongs to Buzz Aldrin.

The overshoes provided extra protection from rips, tears, and dust to the basic spacesuits. They left distinctive footprints during the Moon landing that can be seen in numerous other images from the mission. And if you’re still skeptical, go to the Moon for a closer look. NASA said that “the first footprints on the Moon will be there for a million years. There is no wind to blow them away.”

The next question we need to address is why the overshoes arent at the museum like the rest of Armstrong’s gear. You see, the Apollo 11 crew left behind about 100 items on the Moon as a weight saving measure. The list includes not only TV lenses and bodily fluids but the infamous shoes as well.

But before you scroll down to learn more about this alleged Moon conspiracy, remember that Neil Armstrong claimed the biggest accomplishment of the mission was not taking the steps but landing the lunar module. “Pilots take no special joy in walking: pilots like flying,” he said. “Pilots generally take pride in a good landing, not in getting out of the vehicle.”

As of recently, a new Moon landing conspiracy theory has been surfacing on the internet

But some people weren’t convinced by it and decided to check the facts

They found that Armstrong and the other crew members did wear the Apollo/Skylab A7L suit pictured above

But they had more gear. Namely, overshoes with treaded soles

Image credits: NASA photo

And for the record, the footprint in the other photograph isn’t even Armstrong’s, it belongs to Buzz Aldrin

The overshoes provided extra protection from rips, tears, and dust to the basic spacesuits

Image credits: o0Tektite0o

This X-ray was taken as a last minute check to see if there were any foreign objects that could compromise the integrity of the spacesuit during the mission

The boots left distinctive footprints that can be seen in numerous other images from the mission

And if you’re still skeptical, go to the Moon for a closer look

“The first footprints on the Moon will be there for a million years. There is no wind to blow them away”

Image credits: NASA / Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

But why the overshoes aren’t at the museum like the rest of Armstrong’s gear?

The crew left behind about 100 items on the Moon as a weight saving measure. The list includes not only TV lenses and bodily fluids, but the infamous shoes as well