A "theory" that the moon was made of blue cheese is complete arbitrary non-sense which doesn't need refuting. On the other side -- the moon, orbital mechanics,

A "theory" that the moon was made of blue cheese is complete arbitrary non-sense which doesn't need refuting. On the other side -- the moon, orbital mechanics, Newton's laws to design the space craft and get it to the moon, that there are men who fly such machines and the machines are designed to support human life are all facts that are being implicitly denied by the blue cheese "theory". There is nothing to refute it is non-sense on its own terms. Moreover, theories are just a collection of statements so your distinction is irrelevant and you contradict your own position by claiming a statement; "that the moon was entirely made of blue cheese" is a theory. While your example is fanciful and exaggerated to make your point, it actually makes mine. You/Popper can't rip the application of the non-contradiction principle out of the context of the law of identity on which it is based and gives it meaning. The fundamental principle of existence is that anything that exists has identity. Non-contradiction is a (very crucial) corollary of identity and not a primary as Popper holds.