“But how was there enough energy to have launched us back up FROM the moon, and made it all the way back to Earth?”
The Moon only has 1/6th of Earth’s gravitational pull.
Meaning that 100 pounds on Earth is about 17 pounds on the Moon.
More than half of the Lunar Module’s weight was fuel that gets burned off in its descent stage.
So when the LEM is launching from the Moon its mass is less than half of what it began with, and it has to overcome a gravitational pull only 17% of what Earth exerts.
Once the LEM and capsule escape the Moon’s weak gravitational tug the ride is basically all downhill to Earth requiring no fuel.
Thank you
Thanks for the detailed listing of the theories, which I am familiar with. But ~20% of the Earth’s gravity can’t be taken for granted. And 250,000 miles is a log way to travel with no fuel, whether there’s gravity or not.