The Van Allen Belts Are Dangerous - But Didn't Keep Us From The Moon | Answers With Joe

The Van Allen Belts are areas of high radiation where solar particles have been trapped and accelerated by the Earth's magnetic field. This has long been touted as evidence by conspiracy theorists that we couldn't have gotten to the moon. But while the Van Allen Belts are dangerous, the tenacity and genius of NASA engineers literally found a way around them. Here's how.

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Amy Shira Tietal's excellent video about it:

[joescott]

As many have pointed out, the nuclear test in the belts was actually Starfish Prime, not Starship Prime. Much better name actually. :)

[markaruski]

Most people don't realize that without the Van Allen belts, the Van Allen pants would fall down, thus exposing the moon.

[colobossable]

My biggest argument against the moon landings being a hoax is; that the Soviets, who had all the equipment and instrumentation to track and measure what NASA were doing, and a big incentive to expose a hoax landing if it had been, acknowledged them as genuine.

[jongroubert]

I totally did the, "Oh, you believe in the moon?" thing about 8 years ago to a moon landing denier. He backed away from me thinking I was the crazy one. WINNING!

[averybrooks]

I met Van Allen in the late 90's in Iowa City, he was very nice and at the time he was building a telescope at the university of Iowa. I asked him a ton of Physics questions while I had his attention, I actually originally put together the system they ended up using to turn the telescope. They brought in a expert for Linux I won't mention but he wrote on my workbench as we all watched, drivers for the freaking machine. It was an awesome experience and Van Allen ended up being an amazingly nice person.

[PNurmi]

Being a nuclear engineer, you gave a very good explanation about the expected radiation doses and precautions one takes to minimizes any health effects from travel through the belts.

[tiffanymarie]

It's astounding how humans are collectively so smart and so stupid at the same time.

[justmyopinion]

Never believed it a hoax but was accused of being a conspiracy theorist when I asked how they managed to pass through the Van Allen radiation belts without harm to the astronauts. I was genuinely interested in this answer when I was younger but no one wanted to answer (pre internet) I was not studying science so I never bothered following up on it. Question finally answered 30 years late but still appreciated 🤣😂🤣

[kazeshi]

I've always enjoyed the saying/thought that the Apollo astronauts were way more brave than smart, and they were extremely smart.

[adamb]

The problem is that so many people live in the Dunning Kruger effect. They learn one little piece of information without being truly informed on the subject, and they think that makes them an expert.

[anonymousrex]

Never ceases to amaze me that the more information that is available, the more people tend to favor the false information that fits with their world view over easy-to-check factual data. People would rather FEEL right than actually BE right... facts have somehow become a "matter of opinion". Very sad and hopefully we as a society can move forward from this very concerning trend.

[BigMKatmn]

i find it simply amazing that in the 1920's people could figure out the inner workings of atoms with a pencil and a piece of paper and a whole lot of smarts. everyday life i am surrounded by things i use but have little to no idea how they actual work. keep dropping the knowledge Joe, love the channel and the links you provide and i'll do my best to keep learning in this most exciting time. thanks!

[harliethomas]

Thank you so much for putting this video out. It always makes me so angry from people saying they couldn't get through the belts they would die and they're going to have to solve this problem, or they forgot how to solve it. When I remember reading as a kid that they went through the hole at the North Pole to avoid all the radiation. Thanks for looking up the details.

[bimmergeezer]

Hi Joe, I have my BS in Chemistry from the U of Iowa. If I had taken my physics requirement a year earlier I would have had Dr. Van Allen as my instructor. He insisted that all of the tenured professors occasionally teach undergrad courses in order to keep in touch with all students.

[SiqueScarface]

Driving around with Explorer 1 in your trunk is on the same level than having 50% of the World's Radium reserves in your suitcase while taking the tramway from your institute in Berlin to the Prussian Academy of Science to show it to the king.

[happybuttersblast]

i was born in 81 so I didnt get the internet until 98 so I too grew up first 16 years without the internet . Life is so different and Im glad I was born when I was to have this perspective.

[sceletiumbeliever]

Good video, only mistake was saying that doctors don't use CT scans very often. I'm a CT tech and ER doctors order an insane amount of CT scans, most of them completely unnecessary.

[Gunns]

I was honored to have known this man and sat with him on occasion having lunch outside on a park bench at One Space Park Redondo Beach Ca. He treated everyone with respect and I have to say I had lunch with him a couple times not knowing who he was.

[JmaK]

“They literally just problem solved their way to the moon” 😂 I love that

[briangarrow]

I’m old enough to remember when computers were only in university labs and secret government facilities. I saw the introduction of electricity to typewriters.
Damn, I feel old.