{"id":644031,"date":"2026-10-12T11:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T11:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/644031\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T11:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T11:14:14","slug":"gotcha-some-said-a-glass-of-water-proved-china-faked-its-space-station-but-simple-science-destroyed-the-argument-in-seconds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/644031\/","title":{"rendered":"Gotcha? Some said a glass of water ‘proved’ China faked its space station \u2013 but simple science destroyed the argument in seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get the key facts in our 1-minute dive into this story about China’s space station<\/p>\n

Online claim: Social media users previously shared a conspiracy theory claiming a glass of water on China’s Tiangong space station proved its crewed spaceflight program was faked.<\/p>\n

Skeptical: Viewers questioned why neither the liquid nor the glass itself floated away in the weightless environment<\/p>\n

Key questions: Shouldn’t the glass be floating? Why is the liquid resting in the bottom of the glass?<\/p>\n

Live broadcast: The contested video originated from a live-streamed science lesson conducted by the Shenzhou-13 crew in late 2021.<\/p>\n

AP investigation: The Associated Press debunked the theory in 2023 as part of their ongoing efforts to address widely-shared misinformation.<\/p>\n

Surface tension: University of Chicago space historian Jordan Bimm explained that surface tension and molecular attraction keep water clinging to the glass in clumps without dispersing.<\/p>\n

Behind scenes: China’s space program posted a video showing astronaut Wang Yaping pouring water through a straw and securing a glass with adhesive strips.<\/p>\n

Ping-pong test: A follow-up experiment showed a submerged ping-pong ball remaining suspended underwater rather than floating, matching microgravity physics.<\/p>\n

External verification: University of Manchester researcher Molly Silk noted that China has little reason to fake footage and the space station’s presence is verified by international actors like the US.<\/p>\n

Established success: China’s sophisticated space program is further demonstrated by major achievements such as the Chang’e 5 and Chang’e 6 lunar missions.<\/p>\n

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