CONSPIRACY theorists have claimed that a space station video is fake – because of a glass of water.
Online sceptics blasted a video of China’s Tiangong Space Station which showed a glass of water in zero gravity behaving in a so-called unnatural manner.
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In the viral footage, three astronauts are seen standing on board the station, with a glass of water on a table to their left.
The glass and the water inside it appear to be completely still – despite the microgravity environment.
Tin foil hat-wearing social media users poured out online – slamming the “unbelievable” footage and calling the whole thing a stunt.
Many speculated that water’s behaviour on a space station should see the liquid rising into spheres and floating around the room.
Rather than stay in its glass, the water should be able to fly around the room in bubbles just like in the movies, baffled theorists said.
One confused user said on X: “Call me crazy but if I was orbiting the Earth at 17,500 mph in Zero Gravity surrounded by complex computers…I probably wouldn’t risk an unconcealed glass of water resting on the table.”
Another suggested: “The water wouldn’t stay in the glass. It would be floating.”
Although the online hysteria sent many conspiracy theorists into a debunking frenzy – there is actually a simple explanation for the water’s seemingly unnatural behaviour.
But this didn’t stop others jumping on the bandwagon, with another user saying: “That water should be floating around like bubbles.”
Scores of curious viewers came to the conclusion that the video must have been filmed on Earth.
One user said: “Apparently they are not in zero gravity as water stays in the glass.”
Another weighed in: “Yep, it’s fake. They are not in zero gravity.”
A third user even asked: “So, they’re not in space?”
Theorists were then sent down an even deeper rabbit hole after Elon Musk’s Grok AI system started misinforming users in response to their questions.
In one response, Musk’s AI chatbot claimed: “Yes, water would float out of a glass in a space station due to microgravity.”
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Still puzzling viewers, the video confused even more users who then seemingly lost their temper.
One raged: “This is ridiculous. The water wouldn’t stay in the glass. Why do they insist in surrounding us in a sea of lies?”
Another blasted: “They are not in zero G it’s an act. They are walking on an uneven surface to create a slight floating effect by they are still grounded.”
While another fumed: “At this stage I think they are doing it on purpose, to wake people up.
“You can’t tell them, you have to show them.”
However, there is a rational explanation for the water’s behaviour in the video.
The most important thing to note is that according to science, this is exactly how an open glass of water in microgravity should act.
Space historian Jordan Bimm told AP: “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.”
How does zero gravity affect water?
by Harvey Geh
Water is composed of slightly positive hydrogen atoms and slightly negative oxygen atoms.
These pull towards each other, much like opposite ends of a magnet.
In zero gravity, water can form into floating blobs that drift freely.
But this effect also gives water a strong surface tension, which helps it stick to surfaces and hold its shape.
The liquid sticks to surfaces like glass because water molecules naturally cling to each other and whatever they touch.
When the surface tension kicks in, it acts like an invisible skin that keeps the water in a neat, round shape.
With no gravity to pull it down, tipping a glass won’t make the water move.
That’s why astronauts use sealed pouches and straws to drink, instead of open containers.
Water does not float out of glasses in space because of how its molecules behave in microgravity.
The molecules in water are strongly attracted to each other and to the glass, which keeps the liquid clumped together and stuck to the inside of the cup.
This effect, known as surface tension, means the water can sit still and appear as if it’s behaving normally — even without gravity holding it down.
In fact, astronauts often struggle to pour liquids in space.
That is why they are usually seen drinking from squeezable pouches and using straws, not open containers.
It can actually be very hard or even impossible to get water out of an open container in microgravity.
The glass of water seen in the video was part of a lesson.
The clip was taken from a broadcast called Tiangong Class, where Chinese astronauts perform science demos for schoolkids back on Earth.
In this case, they were showing how buoyancy works differently in space, using water and a ping-pong ball to explain the science.
Another video posted on Chinese site Weibo shows one astronaut carefully filling the same glass with a straw before carefully sticking it to the table with Velcro.
One sharp-eyed viewer hit back at the theorists saying: “It’s not like you couldn’t just spend five minutes researching this stuff.”
