If you lived off the grid this weekend, you might have missed NASA’s big SpaceX launch on May 30th. Millions watched as astronauts Doug Hurley and Behnken were hurled into space aboard a Falcon 9 Rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. The live footage offered viewers an incredible shot of the (spherical) Earth below the astronauts as the Falcon 9 rocket separated from the Crew Dragon capsule.
The flat Earth community has remained relatively silent in the wake of this historic event. This is the first time since 2011 (nearly a decade!) that live astronauts have been shot off into space from US Soil. This also marks the first time NASA has sent a crew into space using a “commercial spacecraft owned by a private company.” SpaceX is a private space company funded by Elon Musk.
In the wake of the rocket launch, one user on twitter wrote:
“Hey #FlatEarth, we just launched two Americans into space completely live, with tons of live footage. Absolutely no way it could have been fake. Suck it, flerfs.”
Another Twitter account commented:
“One thing I can certainly clear up after watching that amazing event… the Earth is definitely not flat. Sorry Flat Earthers you’ve been debunked.”
A well-known Flat Earth conspiracy theorist (flerfs?) named Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes perished at 64 in a homemade rocket launch when it crash landed in Barstow, California back in February.
One Flat Earth supporter account wrote:
“‘Why do you think earth is a globe? Because you see Photoshop images of it. Have you ever tried to prove the globe independently? If not, then you have no evidence of a globe.”
A Flat Earth support account on Facebook chimed in:
“Oh they’re in space now but they’re surrounded by a bright white set, and that layering animation on the right is so awfully done it’s like a 1999 computer game.”
Whether Flat Earther’s truly believe the Earth is flat, or they’re instigating a flame war like trolls on the internet, the footage from the space launch is breathtaking. Watch a recap of the the historic moment here!
As of now, the Falcon 9 rocket has since returned to Earth and returned to the SpaceX station in Florida (aboard a drone operated cargo hold). Whether it will be kept or turned into a museum piece, only time will tell! Here on Earth, the University of Minnesota has cut ties with the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of George Floyd’s Death — read more here.
Image Credit: SpaceX Launch YouTube Channel
