&Quot;Flat Earth&Quot;

Is the Earth flat and surrounded by a transparent barrier that prevents rockets from leaving the Earth's atmosphere? Beyond this barrier, is there a firmament composed of water or a liquid-like substance? Does this explain why the U.S. government in 1962 launched Operation Fish Bowl -- to use nuclear weapons to try and break through that barrier? No, that's not…

Is it impossible to find a "real photo" of Earth taken from space that is not computer generated? No, that's not true: Seventy-six years ago, on October 24, 1946, the first photo of Earth was taken from a V-2 rocket 65 miles above the New Mexico desert. The rocket fell back to Earth as planned, crashing in the desert, and…

Do two photos comparing launch sites on Earth and on the moon imply that the Apollo moon missions were faked -- and, furthermore, suggest that the Earth is flat? No, none of this is true: These photos, taken 33 years apart, are real photos from two different NASA missions. The upper photo shows the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B,…

Does the fact that planes can take off and land prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: The claim ignores Newton's first and second laws of motion that explain how both happen on the constantly spinning Earth. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on October 23, 2022. It opened: FLAT EARTH FACT PLANES LANDING ON A…

Is it true that airplanes fly "straight and level" and that this proves the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: An aviation expert told Lead Stories that "airlines don't fly in a literal straight line" because airplanes fly based on altitude, measured from sea levels. The expression "straight and level" refers to maintaining steady altitude so that the plane…

Does a "documentary" called "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: Although it's presented as a documentary, "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" is an unauthorized repackaging of a 1990 Canadian satirical movie, "In Search of the Edge." It's a mockumentary about flat Earth (FE) theory. John Hoskyns-Abrahall with Bullfrog Films, the distributor…

Are Starlink satellites not in space? No, that's not true: The images used to claim that Starlink satellites are not in space are of balloons that are in the South Pole and have been frequently photographed and reported on. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on October 19, 2022. It opened: STARLINK is NOT in SPACE!!!When you start to…

Are satellites a myth because there is no way they could survive high temperatures in space? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson called this claim about satellites "misleading." According to NASA, artificial satellites are built to survive high temperatures in space, but they orbit in a layer of the atmosphere, the thermosphere, where sufficient gas molecules do not exist…

Does the United Nations flag prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: According to the UN website, its flag shows a projection of the planet, centered on the North Pole. Like three-dimensional school globes, the UN emblem proportionately reproduces actual distances, but in a two-dimensional form. The claim about the UN flag reappeared in a TikTok video…

Does a photo of a dozen people dining at a restaurant show Facebook's community standards team? No, that's not true: The photo was first published in 2018 on a Facebook page of "Flat Earthers," a group that challenges the idea that the earth is a sphere. The photo used to mock Facebook employees who enforce "community standards" on the social…