It has been 65 years since humanity first went to space, and 57 years since a man landed on the Moon.
However, a certain group of people believes that none of this ever happened in reality, and their disbelief has extended to the recent Artemis II mission.
One such individual confronted crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen during their recent Capitol Hill visit and accused them of lying about their journey to space.
The video quickly went viral, with most people slamming the heckler for his take and his actions. Many also commended the astronauts for their “graceful” reaction.
“They’re so polite, I’d smack him in the face,” one netizen commented.
Man berated the Artemis II crew at Capitol Hill, accusing them of “lying to the public”
Image credits: NASA/Instagram
From April 1-11, 2026, Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen flew around the Moon in the Integrity spacecraft, manning the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission’s 24/7 coverage on NASA’s free live stream went massively viral, generating reactions ranging from awe-inspiring emotions to far-reaching conspiracy theories.
On May 12, a month after their safe return home, the crew members visited Capitol Hill to celebrate their historic success and to discuss the future of space exploration with lawmakers and other representatives.
As the astronauts, who were in their NASA uniforms, came down a corridor toward an exit, the man approached, filming them and shouting, “Stop lying! Stop acting! You all never went to space.”
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The man caught Glover’s attention, who was standing closest to him, but the astronaut simply looked away. The camera then panned to Koch and Hensen, who stood there smiling.
“Follow Jesus! God’s watching you all,” the man continued.
The man did not stop heckling as the astronauts were ushered away: “Stop lying to the public! Your psyop isn't working on millions of us! NASA's a joke!”
Glover smiled, waved, and gave a thumbs-up at the man as he walked away.
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“Repent before God, y'all! I see through your lies! I know you never went to space! God's watching you all!” the man could be heard shouting as the astronauts went out the door.
The Artemis II crew won over the internet with their reaction to “disrespectful” heckling
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Netizens were impressed by the Artemis II crew, who kept their calm and composure as the man stood a few feet away, hurling unfounded accusations at them.
“The grace Astronaut Victor Glover gave that imbec*le is OUT OF THIS WORLD!” one user commented. Another said, “Christina was too stunned to speak at this level of stupidness.”
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“She had to smile through that VEEERY awkward moment,” a third said.
“They handled it well, of course, but part of me was hoping for a Buzz Aldrin moment,” commented a fourth.
In September 2002, Edward “Buzz” Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut and the second man on the Moon after Neil Armstrong, famously punched filmmaker and conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel in the face outside a Beverly Hills hotel.
Sibrel had lured Aldrin to the location under the guise of an interview, then demanded the astronaut swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was a lie, and called him a "coward, a liar, and a thief.”
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Sibrel and the man who accosted the Artemis II crew aren’t exactly outliers.
While the Capitol Hill video primarily drew criticism, some online conspiracy theorists supported the man.
“Artemis II astronauts are being called liars to their faces. Love it,” one person wrote.
An expert weighed in on the link between conspiracy theories and religion after the Capitol Hill incident
Dr. Daniel Jolley, an expert in the psychology of conspiracy theories at the University of Nottingham, spoke with the Daily Mail about why subjects like space travel often fall victim to widespread suspicion.
“Space exploration is complex, highly symbolic, and led by powerful institutions, which can make it a target for suspicion among some groups,” he said.
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“Conspiracy theories sometimes take on a religious angle because they frame events in moral terms,” the doctor added, referring to the Capitol Hill incident. “However, it is important not to overstate this connection, as most religious people do not endorse conspiracy theories.”
Space exploration is one of the fields majorly targeted by conspiracy theorists, with claims of the Earth being flat or NASA faking the Moon landing going on for decades now.
Image credits: NASA/Instagram
A 2021 survey by the University of New Hampshire found that at least 10% of participants agreed that the Earth is flat, and 9% were unsure. 12% said that NASA did not land on the Moon, and 17% couldn’t make up their minds.
In 2013, psychologist Stephan Lewandowsky and his colleagues published two papers in Psychological Science suggesting that those who tend to endorse conspiracy theorists are far more likely to challenge various aspects of modern science, such as being in denial of climate change, dismissing the efficacy of vaccines, or not believing the links between nicotine usage and lung cancer.
"How illiterate." Netizens reacted to a man accusing the Artemis II crew of lying about their Moon flyby mission
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