Conspiracy theories have always existed, but the internet has amplified their reach, allowing anyone to spread doubts about major events in seconds. NASA’s Artemis II mission, which broke the record for human spaceflight distance set by Apollo 13 in 1970, quickly drew online skeptics.
Astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen launched on 1 April aboard a 322-foot rocket. After 25 hours orbiting Earth, they set course for a Moon flyby—the mission is a key step toward future lunar exploration.
During a live CNN interview, a plush toy named ‘Rise’ floated in the capsule, demonstrating zero gravity. Conspiracy theorists noticed the letters “OW” and “TAN” flickering behind the toy, claiming it proved a green screen setup. Social media erupted with skepticism.
In reality, the broadcast used Chroma Key overlays for live text, which occasionally refreshed out of sync, creating the glitch. Astronauts were unaware, and experts confirmed it was a normal technical artifact—not a faked mission.