FACT CHECK: No, Video Does Not Show An Astronaut Faking Being In Space
A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows astronaut Tim Peake in front of a green screen simulating space.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
The video is miscaptioned. The grid background was a part of an experiment involving a ball on a string in zero gravity and was not used as a green screen.
Fact Check:
Images from NASA’s Perseverance rover recently discovered that there may be evidence that ancient rivers on Mars ran deeper than researchers initially believed, according to UPI. Another recent discovery from a Mars rover shows a rock resembling open pages of a book, Science and Technology Daily reported.
The Instagram post claims space travel being simulated. The video shows Peake in front of a blue and white grid background, claiming he is standing in front of a chroma key (green screen) background in order to fake being on the International Space Station (ISS).
“NASA astroNOT TIM PEAKE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN FRONT OF CHROMA KEY BACKGROUND TO FAKE BEING ON THE ISS,” the video’s text reads. “Space is fake, cue the triggered trolls,” the caption reads.
The video originates from former President George Bush’s visit to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in 2016 and can be watched on YouTube.
The original video of Peake was also uploaded to YouTube in 2016 and shows him conducting an experiment with a ball on a string in zero gravity. The grid behind him has both its y and x axis labeled one through 10. It was not used as a green screen, but to track the ball’s movements. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Tweet That The Earth Is Flat?)
Check Your Fact has reached out to Peake and the National Space Centre for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.
