Flat Earthers and Space deniers vs Artemis II Mission

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science, Social Media

Since this beautiful planet has an axial tilt of about 23.5°, the Northern Hemisphere is currently roughly halfway through Spring. In contrast, in the Southern Hemisphere, we are in the middle of autumn, and it’s really starting to show. The winter pyjamas and slippers have come out, but we haven’t lit the fire; yet. It will happen, you can count on it.

There’s something else you can count on: the Artemis II mission upsetting our favourite conspiracy theorists: the Flat Earthers, and their wayward siblings, Space deniers. I know the last few weeks have been chaotic, with Eastern European elections, AI Trump/Jesus images, cyclones, blockades getting blocked, and of course, conspiracy theorists becoming very upset. The last time we discussed Flat Earthers, it was concerning the Midnight Sun, but they brushed that off like Daredevil brushes off the Hand.

Just to briefly clarify and to make sure we are all on the same page, Artemis II refers to the second mission of the Artemis lunar program, and its first crewed mission. The four astronauts orbited the Moon, which was the first time humans have done this since 1972, with the Apollo 17 mission.

Their flyby of the Moon resulted in the astronauts setting the record for the greatest distance humans have been away from Earth, at a distance of 406,771 km, which broke the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, of 400,171 km. That was a quick outline of it, but you get the idea.

So, you can imagine that the launch of Artemis II has ruffled the delightful feathers that Flat Earthers and Space deniers wear in their tin foil hats. Call it tantrums or meltdowns, call it desperation, call it mental gymnastics, but the people who believe that space is a hoax, coupled with the ones who believe the Earth is flat, are having a very hard time defending their theories; but at the same time, they are trying to tear the Artemis II mission apart.

Why are they doing this? At least to me, it comes down to various points. It could be that the job of promoting Flat Earth and Space disbelief is a lucrative one, so they need to keep doing it; it’s how they make a living.

Another idea is that they believe they are helping the public to see the truth, because they are honestly trying to look out for people. They don’t like the idea of governments and companies lying to the public, so they believe they are helping us, by exposing the lies.

And finally, they believe they are special because they think they have discovered a truth about the world, and in their eyes, it makes them smarter than all of the experts.

It could be all of them combined, or none of them. Regardless of the true situation, Flat Earthers and Space deniers are not happy, and I feel like a terrible person reading their statements and watching their videos, struggling in vain to prove that their conspiracy theories are still valid and real. In some ways, I do feel sorry for them, but, as I said before, I also feel terrible that I’m finding it entertaining.

Credit: Vice Magazine

Their problems with the Artemis II mission vary because this mission has also drawn out the Moon Landing deniers, as well, to nobody’s surprise. I swear, like Avatar: The Last Airbender is a gateway drug into anime, Flat Earth is the gateway drug into wider conspiracy theories.

Overall, the evidence provided by conspiracy theorists who have criticised or incorrectly debunked the Artemis II mission includes, but is not limited to:

  • Creating AI images of the Moon to pass off as real images taken by the Artemis II crew.
  • Complaining that Artemis II’s launch was at the wrong angle, therefore it’s fake.
  • Creating AI images of the crew in front of a green screen to prove it’s fake.
  • Talking about the number of edits of the launch, which is supposedly happening live.
  • The capsule is too small to house four people for 10 days.
  • The public filmed the astronauts standing outside a building with their phones, but the astronauts were not on the screen.
  • Creating footage of Artemis II filming some type of vehicle moving on the Moon’s surface, to prove it’s fake.
  • Insisting it was a meta-joke, that Artemis II launched on 1st April, April Fool’s Day.
  • Claiming any glitches in transmission signals proves that the footage is fake.
  • Passing off previous images of the Moon as proof that NASA is reproducing Artemis II’s images.
  • And one of the best excuses was that Artemis II was a balloon.
  • The launch proves a Flat Earth, because the rocket did not keep going straight up; it curved, otherwise it would have hit the dome.

Of course, some of these insane statements clash and contradict each other, but let’s not let a silly thing like reality get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

I’m not stunned by the quantity of conspiracy theorists moaning and complaining about Artemis II; it’s rather the quality of their shenanigans, mainly through the use of AI. These images, which have been passed off as real, are of such high quality that the media have had to push back on them and correct the disinformation.

That is scary as hell, but at least there is pushback on the “AI slop”; otherwise, we would believe it. Though, to be fair, I think that’s the conspiracy theorists’ point, not to trust anything. The AI images are so convincing that anybody could be fooled by them.

I have found some videos of various people pushing back against the conspiracy theorists, because it needs to be done. I have mentioned him before, but SciMan Dan has made a few videos concerning their Artemis II nonsense, among others like Creaky Binder and Dave McKeegan.

Before I go on, I need to mention that Sciman Dan also reacted to my favourite Flat Earther, CC from New York, Westchester County, and his work van. In my humble opinion, he’s my favourite conspiracy theorist, not because he brings well-thought-out ideas that are logical and researched, but rather because of the opposite. He’s a buffoon, a lovable buffoon, with no evidence to back up anything he says. Also, I think he’s the angriest man on the internet.

So, with that in mind, enjoy some of the best and worst humanity has to offer.

Sadly, there’s so much more, but you get the point. My family loved watching the launch, but also tracking the mission, ogling at the footage and images, and watching the splashdown live. Artemis II was amazing, and it clears the path for Artemis III, which is tentatively planned for mid-2027, where humans will once more walk on the Moon.

If the Midnight Sun or Artemis II haven’t broken the Flat Earth/Space Deniers/Moon Landing disbelievers, then Artemis III will break their minds, bodies, and souls; physically, mentally, and emotionally. That should be entertaining. Did you follow the Artemis II mission? What was your favourite moment from the mission, or the funniest conspiracy theory about it? As always, please let me know.

The clock has struck again, and the veil of sleep is descending, so it is time to visit the Dreaming. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, try not to shed a tear for Viktor Orbán, and I’ll see you next week to discuss my wife’s reading habits. Sound interesting, doesn’t it?

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