Weird4 min(s) read
A bizarre internet theory claimed that President Donald Trump stepped in to save humanity from a sudden global gravitational failure.
On August 12, podcaster Tim Pool shared a post on X asserting that Trump personally directed NASA to deploy secret technology to protect the planet from floating into space.
Pool wrote in his post: "Just got back from a meeting outside of DC. Trump instructed NASA to activate the genesis device which will create a gravity field protecting us from the degravitation that was supposed to occur at 10:33AM EST. Thank you Mr President for keeping GRAVITY."
The statement added a new layer to a viral rumor that had been circulating online for months.
The underlying rumor claimed that Earth was scheduled to lose gravity for several seconds on August 12, 2026, leading to massive global loss of life.
Despite widespread attention on social media platforms, scientists and space officials confirmed that no such anomaly was possible.
The rumor gained momentum throughout the first eight months of 2026, driven by assertions that a secret NASA document named "Project Anchor" had leaked online in November 2024.
According to social media posts on platforms such as Bluesky, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and X, the agency had known about the disaster and organized covert preparations.
In March 2026, an Instagram user posted a meme reading, "On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA knows - They're preparing but won't tell us why."
The post's caption further claimed: "In November 2024, a classified NASA document titled 'Project Anchor' allegedly leaked online. The budget: $89 billion. The objective: survival during a predicted 7-second gravitational anomaly scheduled for August 12, 2026, at 14:33 UTC."
The post continued, "According to the document, gravity will disengage for 7.3 seconds. Internal projections estimate 40-60 million casualties worldwide."
Investigations into the rumor indicated that the oldest known record originated from a December 31, 2025, post on the Instagram account @mr_danya_of.
The account regularly shared story posts told from varying perspectives, with much of the content appearing fictional and generated using artificial intelligence tools.
While the creator claimed in separate videos to work as a Google employee, a morgue worker, a crematorium employee, a hospice worker, a psychiatrist, and a criminologist, the account became inaccessible shortly after publishing the gravity post.
The text shared by the account and copied across social media outlined a dramatic scenario (via Snopes): "On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA knows. They're preparing but won't tell us why.
In November 2024, a secret NASA document titled 'Project Anchor' leaked online. The project's budget is $89 billion, and its goal is to survive a 7-second gravitational anomaly expected on August 12, 2026, at 14:33 UTC.
Key facts:
• Duration: 7.3 seconds.
• Expected casualties: 40-60 million.
What will happen:
1-2 seconds: Everything not secured will rise (people, vehicles, animals).
3-4 seconds: Objects will continue to rise to 15-20 meters.
5-6 seconds: Panic and chaos will ensue as people hit ceilings.
7 seconds: Gravity returns, and everything falls from height.
Expected consequences:
• 40 million deaths from falls.
• Infrastructure destruction.
• Economic collapse lasting over 10 years.
• Mass panic.
Reason for the anomaly: The intersection of two gravitational waves from black holes, predicted in 2019 with a probability of 94.7%. NASA has known about this for five years.
What NASA is doing:
• Building underground bunkers for 'essential personnel.'
• Developing securing systems for buildings.
Who will get spots in the bunkers:
• Government leaders, scientists, military personnel, and 'selected citizens with genetic diversity.'
Why they're silent: An announcement would trigger mass panic and chaos. Better to have 40 million unprepared victims than 8 billion in a state of panic.
The leak has been ignored by the media as 'conspiracy theory,' but an independent physicist confirmed the intersection of gravitational waves. His paper was retracted, and he has since disappeared.
What you can do:
Follow the 'civilian survival protocol':
• Stay indoors with a low ceiling.
• Lie on the floor face down.
• Hold onto something secured.
20 months until the event. NASA knows. Governments are preparing. They won't tell you."
Fact-checkers and scientific authorities thoroughly debunked the claim. Searches across Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, Facebook, and X found no evidence of any legitimate "Project Anchor" document leaking online.
While a total solar eclipse occurred on August 12, 2026, astronomers noted that eclipses have no unusual impact on gravitational forces.
A NASA spokesperson clarified the physics behind gravitational pull in an official statement: "The Earth will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026. Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass.
"The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass.
"A total solar eclipse has no unusual impact on Earth's gravity. The gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon on the Earth, which doesn't impact Earth's total gravity, but does impact tidal forces, is well understood and is predictable decades in advance."
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A bizarre conspiracy theory claiming the Earth will suddenly lose gravity for several seconds has been spreading across social media for months, but NASA has firmly dispelled it as misinformation.
The theory claims that at exactly 10:33AM ET (2:33PM UTC) today, the planet will experience a temporary gravitational anomaly lasting around seven seconds.
According to the posts circulating online, the event would cause people, animals, cars and other objects to become airborne before crashing back to Earth when gravity supposedly returns.
The extraordinary claim has attracted millions of views online, despite scientists repeatedly explaining that there is no evidence it could materialize.
The conspiracy can reportedly be traced back to a social media post published on December 31, 2025.
An Instagram video claimed: “On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for seven seconds. NASA knows. They're preparing but won't tell us why.”
According to the fictional scenario, NASA had supposedly launched an $89 billion initiative called “Project Anchor” to prepare for the event.
The alleged cause? Two gravitational waves generated by black holes supposedly intersecting with Earth.
The posts claimed the event had been predicted in 2019 with a 94.7% probability and that NASA had secretly spent five years preparing for it.
Some versions of the theory even claimed government officials, scientists, military personnel and supposedly “selected citizens with genetic diversity” had been provided with underground bunkers.
Everyone else, apparently, would be left to fend for themselves.
The conspiracy theory goes into extraordinary detail about what would allegedly come to pass during the seven-second event.
It claims that during the first couple of seconds, anything not attached to the ground would begin floating.
People, animals, cars, and furniture would supposedly rise into the air, with some versions claiming people could reach heights of between 15 and 20 metres, roughly 50 to 65 feet.
When gravity supposedly returned after 7.3 seconds, everything would come crashing back down.
The fictional disaster allegedly would cause around 40 million deaths, widespread infrastructure destruction and an economic collapse lasting more than a decade.
But there is one rather significant problem with the theory: there is no scientific evidence that any of this is going to take place.
NASA has directly addressed the viral rumors, explaining that Earth's gravity is determined by the planet's mass.
“Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass,” the agency told fact-checking website Snopes.
“The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass,” NASA added.
“The Earth will not lose gravity on August 12, 2026.”
According to a conspiracy theory that has been bouncing around social media for the past eight months, the Earth will lose gravity for 7.3 seconds at exactly 10:33am ET (2:33pm UTC) today.
If you are reading this, it hasn't happened yet.
Or perhaps it has, and you floated 60 feet into the air and came back down and just carried on with your day.
The theory is, obviously, complete nonsense.
NASA has said so. Physicists have said so - one publication described it as a conspiracy theory of 'a level of stupidity never before reached in the history of our species'.
Yet millions of people have engaged with it online. So here is what the claim actually says and why it is wrong.
On December 31, 2025, an Instagram user posted a video with text overlay reading: 'On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for 7 seconds. NASA knows. They're preparing but won't tell us why.'
The caption went further.
It claimed a secret NASA document titled 'Project Anchor' had leaked online in November 2024.
The project allegedly had an $89 billion budget and a single goal - survive a 7-second gravitational anomaly expected on August 12, 2026, at 10:33am ET (14:33 UTC).
The post claimed the anomaly would be caused by two gravitational waves from black holes intersecting with Earth.
It said the event had been predicted in 2019 with a probability of 94.7%.
NASA had known for five years. They built bunkers for government leaders, scientists, military personnel, and 'selected citizens with genetic diversity'.
Everyone else, apparently, was on their own.
The theory breaks it down second by second.
In the first two seconds, anything not bolted down starts floating.
People, animals, cars, furniture. All of it.
Between seconds three and four, objects continue rising. People reach heights of 15 to 20 meters, roughly 50 to 65 feet, above the ground.
At 7.3 seconds, gravity returns. Everything comes crashing back down.
The post estimated 40 million deaths from falls. Infrastructure destruction. Economic collapse lasting over 10 years. Mass panic.
Gravity is not something Earth has like a battery or a switch.
It is a fundamental force that arises from mass.
As long as the Earth has mass, it has gravity. You cannot turn it off or pause it.
Two gravitational waves from distant black holes cannot override the gravitational pull of a 5.97 × 10²⁴ kilogram planet.
Gravitational waves do exist.
They were first detected in 2015 by the LIGO observatory.
But the waves that reach Earth from black hole mergers billions of light years away are incomprehensibly faint.
They stretch and compress space by less than the width of a proton. They do not cancel out gravity. They do not make people float. You cannot feel them.
A NASA spokesperson confirmed to Snopes that there is no 'Project Anchor', no leaked document, no $89 billion budget, and no predicted gravitational anomaly. 'There will be no loss of gravity on August 12, 2026,' NASA said.
But they would say that, wouldn't they?
The only real celestial event happening today is a total solar eclipse, visible from the Arctic to Spain.
Eclipses have been accurately predicted for thousands of years and do not affect gravity.
The original Instagram post went viral in early January 2026 and spread across TikTok, X, Reddit, 4chan, Bluesky, Facebook, and Threads within days.
Versions of the claim were translated into multiple languages.
Spin-off posts added new details - 11 scientists had supposedly died or gone missing. An independent physicist who confirmed the gravitational wave intersection had his paper retracted and vanished.
None of it was real. The scientists did not die. The physicist did not exist. The paper was never published.
Snopes rated the entire claim 'False'. IFLScience noted that August 12 was a clever date to pick because the real eclipse gives the theory a thin veneer of astronomical credibility. 'A good date for a rumour, as it has great SEO potential,' the outlet wrote. 'We checked.'
Because it was packaged well.
A specific date, a specific time down to the second, a named government agency and a leaked document with a budget figure.
The whole step-by-step breakdown of what would happen, explained with technical language about gravitational waves and black hole intersections.
It followed the same template as every viral conspiracy - take a real scientific concept, bolt a terrifying fictional scenario onto it, then add a government cover-up to explain why nobody official is confirming it.
The conspiracy also tapped into something real.
People do not trust institutions the way they used to.
When NASA says something is not happening, a growing number of people hear that as confirmation that it is.
In brief, nothing.
Gravity will continue to work.
You will remain on the ground. Your coffee will stay in your mug.
The Earth will keep orbiting the Sun at 67,000 miles per hour, held in place by the same gravitational force that has been operating without interruption for 4.5 billion years.
If you do float 60 feet into the air and come crashing back down at 10:33am, then fair enough. We were wrong. But we are not going to be wrong.
President Donald Trump has come under fire for comments made during a recent press conference regarding NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024.
Their mission, initially planned as a short-duration flight, was extended due to technical issues with their return spacecraft.
Addressing the prolonged stay of the astronauts, President Trump remarked, "They've been left up there. I hope they like each other... maybe they'll love each other. I don't know."
He further commented on Williams' appearance in microgravity, stating, "And I see the woman with the wild hair. Good solid head of hair she's got. There's no kidding. There's no games with her hair."
The President's remarks were met with swift criticism on social media platforms. One Twitter user described the comments as "incredibly inappropriate," while another questioned the normalcy of such statements from a sitting president.
Some users expressed concern that the comments undermined the seriousness of the astronauts' situation, with one individual stating, "Trump's reckless comments about the astronauts stranded at the ISS are not just irresponsible—they undermine the gravity of the situation."
Despite the extended mission, both Williams and Wilmore have maintained a positive outlook. Speaking from the ISS, Williams emphasized that they do not feel abandoned or stranded, highlighting their preparedness for various contingencies.
She stated, "We do not feel abandoned or stuck. We were well-prepared for this mission and are making the most of our extended stay."
NASA has been actively working to facilitate the safe return of the astronauts.
The agency, in collaboration with SpaceX, has scheduled a return flight for March 12, 2025, utilizing a Crew Dragon spacecraft. This plan was developed following technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was initially intended for the crew's return.
The extended mission of astronauts Williams and Wilmore has brought attention to the challenges inherent in space exploration.
While President Trump's comments have sparked controversy, the focus remains on the astronauts' safe return and the continued advancement of human spaceflight endeavors.
There have been exciting developments in space news lately, with the first alien asteroid crossing into our atmosphere, and Elon Musk launching a car on a mission to Mars on the world's most powerful rocket. Also, we're getting a new Star Wars movie every year, and that's pretty cool. I can't wait for the spinoff "I, Lobot."
President Donald Trump has expressed an interest in the cosmos. This came as a surprise to many, given his administration's assault on science, removing environmental protections, ignoring the climate change crisis and stepping out of the Paris agreement, which every other country in the world embraced. But last December he ordered NASA to return to the moon, and announced plans for a trip to Mars. It's time to Make the Universe Great Again. #MUGA!
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However, President's latest proposal about space has people scratching their heads. During a speech at a Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, he said the United States needs a military branch called a "Space Force."
"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea. We may even have a Space Force. We're doing a tremendous amount of work in space. I said, maybe we need a new force. We'll call it the Space force. And I was not really serious, and then I said, 'What a great idea!' Maybe we'll have to do that."
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It's unclear what exactly the role of the Space Force would be, since we have yet to discover other intelligent life, and so far, no giant Armageddon asteroids are hurtling toward the Earth. Some speculate that the President was referencing to "Space Corps," a proposed plan to establish military operations in space for national security purposes. But that was left out of the defense policy bill last year. Most likely, the President was just veering off script, riffing to entertain the crowd, so it's hard to tell the degree of seriousness.
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But upon hearing the words "Space Force," the Internet lost their collective minds. People responded by tweeting references to Star Wars, Spaceballs and Buzz Lightyear. We worried Trump would turn into a dictator. Instead, he might turn into Darth Vader. (Or Dark Helmet.)
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Although the concept of Space Force sounds ridiculous, there was a time when self-driving cars sounded ridiculous too, so who knows? If we ever get to the point of colonizing other planets, a military force of some kind in space seems essential.
If nothing else, you have give President Trump credit for being pretty entertaining sometimes. Few people he'd float that idea at the Marine Corps Air Station . I just hope he doesn't propose a plan to build a wall around the Earth, and make the Martians pay for it. (Because they're definitely not going to pay for it, and everybody knows it.)
Elon Musk shared a bizarre theory about why two NASA astronauts are stuck in space, and they have since responded.
NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams, 59, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, 61, were supposed to be back on Earth months ago.
Instead, they’ve now spent nearly 300 days in space, marooned on the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical failures on their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
The mission, which was originally scheduled to last just eight days, quickly turned into an extended stay after thruster failures, helium leaks, and a faulty propellant valve left their Starliner capsule compromised.
Rather than risk a dangerous return trip, NASA decided the safest option was to wait for SpaceX’s Dragon capsule to bring them home—now expected in March 2025 as part of Crew-9’s return mission.
Meanwhile, the situation has been further complicated by Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who claim the astronauts are only stuck for “political reasons” - a statement Wilmore has now directly addressed.
Elon Musk made headlines with a bold claim: "They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good," he told Fox News during a joint interview with Donald Trump.
Trump doubled down, alleging that President Joe Biden was "going to leave them in space."
Neither Musk nor Trump elaborated on what they meant by this claim or provided evidence to support it.
However, the implication that the astronauts’ extended stay was driven by political motives rather than technical issues stirred further debate.
During a press conference from the ISS, Wilmore directly responded to the comments, expressing respect for both Musk and Trump - but also clarifying that they don’t know the full story.
"Obviously, we've heard some of these different things that have been said. I can tell you at the outset, all of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk and obviously respect and admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump."
He acknowledged that politics is part of life but pointed out that they know the situation better than anyone.
"We know what we've lived up here, we know the ins and outs and the specifics that they may not be privy to - and I'm sure that they have some issues that they are dealing with, information that they have that we are not privy to."
However, despite trying to remain diplomatic, Wilmore admitted he had no direct knowledge of Musk’s claim.
"I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says is absolutely factual - I have no, we have no, information on that though whatsoever, what was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That's information that we simply don't have."
Despite the political noise, NASA and SpaceX have officially set the astronauts’ return timeline.
In an update, NASA confirmed that SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission is targeting a March 12 launch, with Crew-9 bringing Williams and Wilmore back to Earth shortly after.
"NASA and SpaceX are accelerating the target launch and return dates for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the International Space Station," the agency stated.
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