NASA is addressing a bizarre rumor that Earth is slowly losing its gravity. For obvious reasons, the wild theory is simply not true. But NASA wanted to get ahead of the conspiracy theory making the rounds on the internet.
Conspiracy theorists believe a leaked "secret" document called NASA's "Project Anchor." "Leaking" last November, the document claimed the agency was preparing for an apocalyptic event this August. For seven seconds on August 14, the theory claims that Earth will lose its gravity. They claimed NASA put aside $89 million to address the issue.
"On August 12, 2026, the world will lose gravity for seven seconds. NASA knows. They're preparing but won't tell us why," they declared. "Infrastructure destruction. Economic Collapse lasting over ten years. Mass panic,"
"If this is fake, why does it have a date, a project name, and a budget?" one person asked.
NASA Debunks Rumor
But this document was fake. There is no "Project Anchor." Also as NASA experts point out, gravity simply doesn't work like that.
Turns out this is just another case of social media mischief, as internet sleuths have found no trace of any leaked document or mention of "Project Anchor." Meanwhile, NASA experts have pointed out that the theory itself demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how gravity works.
Snopes reached out NASA to debunk the rumor.
"The Earth will not lose gravity on August 12, 2026," a spokesman said. "Earth's gravity, or total gravitational force, is determined by its mass. The only way for the Earth to lose gravity would be for the Earth system, the combined mass of its core, mantle, crust, ocean, terrestrial water, and atmosphere, to lose mass."
Dr. William Alston, a black hole expert from the University of Hertfordshire, also explained that colliding black holes are "so weak that we have had to build the most sensitive detection equipment to see them."
He said, "These ripples [caused by colliding black holes] routinely pass through Earth and ourselves, very subtly squeezing and stretching us; however, this is so small — many times smaller than the size of an atom — that this change goes by completely unnoticed."
