Tiangong Space Station Exposed? Conspiracy Theorists 'Debunk' Zero Gravity Claims, Scientists Respond

A clip showing an open glass of water resting on a table inside China's Tiangong space station has provided conspiracy theorists with something to talk about. The footage, which formed part of a live educational broadcast from orbit, has sparked accusations that the video was staged on Earth, despite it being a legitimate experiment in space.

Although it has not been confirmed, the surfacing video is seemingly not new. Reportedly, it's a clip from an old class conducted by China's Tiangong space station as part of an ongoing series of Tiangong Classes.

In the video, the glass appears perfectly still, and the water seems unaffected by the microgravity environment. And for those familiar with the visuals from space, where water usually floats in globular blobs, this seems hard to digest.

What the Conspiracy Theorists Are Saying

The video has quickly become a subject for sceptics who believe human spaceflight is an elaborate ruse. On X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms, users questioned how water could possibly remain inside an open glass in zero gravity.

'The water wouldn't stay in the glass. It would be floating,' one user insisted. Another wrote, 'They are not in zero G—it's an act.' Others speculated that the astronauts were on a film set using visual tricks to simulate weightlessness.

Some pointed to safety concerns. 'If I was orbiting Earth at 17,500 mph surrounded by computers... I wouldn't risk an open glass of water,' a commenter posted on X.

Despite their disbelief in space travel, many were confident in how water should behave in orbit, ironically, misunderstanding the science they were attempting to use as evidence.

Space Experts Say It's Plausible

While the internet's more conspiracy-minded corners were quick to label the footage a hoax, the science behind the video is not only sound, it's textbook.

Jordan Bimm, a space historian at the University of Chicago, provided his take on the whole 'stable water glass situation' to the Associated Press. 'Water molecules like to stick to glass and also to other water molecules more than they like to disperse in the air. So if there is no external force, water remains in 'clumps' in the weightless environment, and in this case, inside the glass,' he said.

In other words, surface tension and adhesion between water and the glass are enough to keep the liquid stable, even in microgravity. The result may look counterintuitive, but it's exactly what physics predicts.

The phenomenon isn't new either. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti previously demonstrated how hard it is to remove water from an open container in zero gravity. This is why astronauts typically drink from pouches with straws, not open glasses.

Long History of Space Conspiracies

This is far from the first time space-related content has triggered online conspiracy theories. From the Apollo 11 moon landings to supposed secret NASA missions, doubts about human space travel have long been a point of contention on the internet.

In this case, confusion was further fuelled when Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, mistakenly told users that water would float out of an open glass in space, adding to the misinformation swirl.

Yet, many were quick to push back. 'That's called physics,' one commenter pointed out. 'Surface tension allows the water to stay in the glass, and the glass itself is fixed in place.'

Another added dryly, 'It's not like you couldn't just spend five minutes researching this stuff.'

While online speculation continues, the real story here isn't a space station hoax; it's a basic misunderstanding of physics.

According to experts, water behaves differently in microgravity, but not unpredictably. What looks strange at first glance is actually a clear demonstration of how surface tension works in space. Rather than exposing a cover-up, the video offers a valuable teaching moment of how physics works in space, not the one conspiracy theorists were expecting.