It’s now just one day from the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin taking mankind’s first steps on the moon.

But a poll by Opinium found a staggering 21% of British people believe conspiracy theories that the whole thing was just a massive con.

The idea is fuelled by the fact that the US was locked into a bitter rivalry with Russia, which stunned the world with the successful launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite, in 1957.

One such conspiracy theory says the “fake” moon landing is exposed by the way Buzz Aldrin climbs down the spaceship’s ladder in a “reckless” way.

TRIUMPH: Buzz Aldrin steps foot on the moon... or does he?

Another truth-seeker claims the way the shadows appear on the moon is very suspicious.

“Proof” the moon landings were recorded in a film studio are in official NASA pictures showing a “TV spotlight”, another theorist suggests.

Meanwhile, the reason the American flag is seen flapping on the moon’s surface — which has no natural breeze — was revealed by NASA.

There is also plenty of bizarre moon landing trivia which is completely official.

For instance, Washington initially planned to hit the moon with an atomic bomb in a secret operation, dubbed Project A119.

ONE BIG STEP: Just 20% of Brits see this as one of humanity's greatest triumphs
'MYSTERIOUS' FLAPPING: The US has done its best to debunk this particular conspiracy

And bags of human faeces dumped on the moon by NASA astronauts could still contain tiny living organisms.

But the vast majority of Brits do believe in Apollo 11 — and are keen to go to space themselves.

One-in-five Brits (21%) regard the moon landing as one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

Interest in space sky-rockets among millennials — aged between 18 and 34 — who are more excited about the topic than other generations.

Just 38% of Brits want to know more about the 1969 mission to the moon, but this number is 53% among those aged 18-34.

Similarly, almost two thirds (64%) of those aged 18-34 say that “it’s important for the human race to explore space” compared to half (52%) of those who were old enough to remember the last manned mission to the moon.