Mystery of the stars

Dear Editor:A new science fiction program called "Defying Gravity" is on Sunday evenings, and it's about outer space travel. On this program, when they show the astronauts outside their space vehicle, they show the stars behind them. They also show stars behind the Earth and Moon, and that is the way it should be. In real life, NASA never shows any stars in any of the photos that they have shown, from Day One. Even when they show astronauts on videotape outside the space shuttle or the space station, there are never any stars behind them. There are never any stars in books or magazines made by NASA. NASA always blacks them out. The first female tourist for outer space named Anousheh Ansari paid $20 million to the Russian government to go up in space with the Russian cosmonauts for 10 days in 2006. She went on the Oprah Winfrey show that year and Oprah asked her what the stars looked like. Her answer, verbatim, was that "it was like a diamond powder over a black velvet sky." In 1969, Neil Armstrong was asked by a news reporter how the stars looked from the moon. His statement was, "I don't remember seeing any stars." Then he paused and asked Buzz Aldrin if he remembered seeing any stars. Buzz replied no. Then Neil looked to Michael Collins and asked him if he remembered any stars. Collins shook his head and stated no. He was in orbit around the moon. After that day, no astronauts can ever be questioned about their outer space work. The only astronaut allowed to speak freely is Buzz Aldrin and no other. When anyone on earth goes to the mountains or the desert, the stars look beautiful in the night, and that's with an atmosphere. It makes you wonder why Neil and Buzz could not see any stars. Also, Collins was in orbit, he could not claim any obstructions. NASA should show us the stars. By not showing the stars, it just makes people wonder, "Why not?" Is it because Neil Armstrong misspoke? - Mike Sandoval, Downey

********** Published: August 28, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 19