Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
November 12, 2014, saw a new milestone in space exploration when Rosetta’s Philae probe soft-landed on a comet. This was an extraordinary event in human history.
After the landing, the European Space Agency (ESA) regained contact with the lander. Batteries on the device have now run down but not before sending back the results of scientific experiments conducted from the comet’s surface.
But, predictably, claims that the comet landing was faked started to circulate soon after the event. Just as with the moon landing, and other space events since, conspiracy theorists are now suggesting that the comet landing footage and information are fake.
One commentator, who goes by the name of Lord Steven Christ, even created a YouTube video that suggested that the landing was CGI. ‘Lord Steven’ also maintains that the earth is actually concave and has a glass sky.
It is unclear if Lord Steven Christ actually believes the utter nonsense that he gushes out or is just making fun of conspiracy theorists. Some would suggest that he is just ‘trolling’. But, whatever his motivation, comments on his work indicate that at least a few do actually believe him.
Another popular YouTuber by the name of Zachary K Hubbard claimed that various sets of numbers associated with the Rosetta mission somehow prove that the landing was a hoax.
Of course, the progress of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission has been closely followed by scientists and news outlets all around the world including NASA. The mission has been extensively documented and discussed since its beginnings.
Thus, any suggestion that the mission was somehow faked and that this ruse was so good that it was able to fool leading scientists and science journalists all around the world just beggars belief. Despite what a tiny minority of wide-eyed conspiracy theorists might believe, there is overwhelming evidence that the Philae probe really did land on a comet.
© Copyright: ESA/ATG medialab
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
