BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese leading moon scientist Ouyang Ziyuan said here Friday that the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon was credible.

    "Although there is no atmosphere on the Moon, the U.S. flag could still fly due to the shaking of the pole," he said, saying that he had conducted a similar experiment himself.

    "I believe the Americans really did land on the Moon," he told the 36th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR).

    Most knowledge about the Moon came from the Apollo program, he added.

    Doubt has been cast on the credibility of the Apollo 11 landing by some scientists, who argue that the flag planted in the ground could not flap because of the absence of atmosphere.

    American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The Apollo program put a total of 12 astronauts on the Moon, the last in 1972. Enditem