“Everything is a green screen!”. The conspiracy theory that exploded after the Artemis mission to the moon and the truth behind the images
One detail from a live interview with NASA's Artemis II mission crew was enough to spark a new wave of conspiracy theories. In the footage, a plush toy floating in the capsule passed in front of the camera, and for a split second, snippets of text appeared in the background. For some users on social media, this was interpreted as “proof” that the images are shot on green screen in an artificial setting.
Photo source: The Guardian
The situation is not new. Similar suspicions circulated after the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 that the mission was filmed in a studio. The difference is that, today, such theories spread much faster.
The explanation lies in how the images are made and distributed. CNN's interview with the Artemis II crew uses Chroma Key, the technology by which graphics and text are superimposed over the main image, as is commonly done in TV broadcasts.
The problem appears in the version that circulates online. The clip is not taken directly from the original broadcast, but appears to be re-filmed from a screen. In such situations, the image is no longer perfectly synchronized, and for a fraction of a second, elements of the graphics on the screen – including fragments of text – can become visible, especially in areas where the color green appears in the frame.
Reactions from online: “It's all fake”
“Green screen shows misses on Artemis mission to the moon… It's all fake!?”wrote a user on X, quoted by New York Post.
Others went further: “Pure green screen bullshit. The exact same material they use on set. Artemis? Fake. They never got there. It's all a staged circus and we're the ones paying for it. The truth is buried under layers of CGI and lies. Wake up.”
Someone else said that: “Over $50 million a day to give us green screen lies.”
However, there were also adverse reactions. During the launch, a podcaster filmed from the ground to show that the rocket actually took off. In addition, the original images released by NASA and CNN show the toy floating normally, without the distortions or letters seen in the viral clip.
“People need stories and myths for much deeper reasons than mere entertainment. They relate to the way the human mind organizes reality, makes sense of experiences, and manages the things around us. And when things don't fit together like a puzzle, the missing pieces can easily lead to conspiracy theories.” Luminița Tăbăran, clinical psychologist, explains for “Adevărul”.
We need meaning and order precisely because life is often chaotic and unpredictable. “Paradoxically, conspiracy theories can give a sense of control. If you 'know the hidden truth', you feel that you are no longer completely vulnerable, that the world is understood, that there is a logic behind events,” adds the specialist.
Study: Lack of critical thinking is not the problem
Research recently published in the journal Cognitive Processing, cited by PsyPost, supports the same idea from another angle.
Neophytos Georgiou, a psychology researcher at Flinders University, shows that the problem is not necessarily a lack of critical thinking, but the need for some people to see the world as a coherent system, with clear rules and explanations for everything.
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The study was conducted on two groups – adults in the general population and people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders – and looked at both the way of thinking and the tendency to believe in conspiracy theories.
“People often assume that conspiracy theories arise because someone doesn't think critically. But our findings show that for those who prefer systematic structure, conspiracy theories can seem like an organized way to make sense of confusing or unpredictable events.” said Neophytos Georgiou, quoted by PsyPost.
In the study, participants with a higher preference for strict information organization were more inclined to believe in conspiracy theories and were less willing to change their opinion when they received information that contradicted their beliefs, even if they demonstrated that they could understand and apply scientific concepts correctly.
“Conspiracy theories provide that sense of order. They give the impression that nothing is accidental,” Georgiou also said.
The structure of the myth, reproduced in the conspiracy
Luminița Tăbăran draws a parallel with the concept of myth, as defined by Mircea Eliade:
“Mircea Eliade said that we need myths, they create narrative structures through which people can understand the world: where we come from, why there is suffering, what death means. They offer symbolic answers to existential questions.” she explained.
For Eliade, a myth is not just an invented story, but an account of a sacred event, happening in a primordial time (“illo tempore”), where everything acquires meaning and order. He also says that traditional man cannot live without myths, because they provide models for all important actions: birth, marriage, work, death. Without these models, life would seem directionless.
According to her, conspiracy theories follow the same narrative scheme.
“If classical myths had gods, heroes and forces of evil, conspiracy theories reproduce this structure: there are “hidden forces” (elites, organizations, etc.), there are “ordinary people” who are victims and “heroes” who reveal the truth”, the psychologist opines.
The difference is not in structure, but in effects.
“If myths provide meaning and stability to the community, conspiracy theories tend to erode social trust, create constant suspicion and fragment communities”points out the specialist.
From a modern perspective, conspiracy theories help process emotions and experiences. “They transform fear, desire or trauma into narrative forms that are easier to understand. In addition, films, series, theories of parallel universes (difficult to represent and understand) put the imagination to work to make sense of the events presented in the media and topics that are too little explained in the public space. (…) Conspiracy theories can be understood, in a way, as “modern myths”. They arise from the same fundamental needs as traditional stories and myths, but in a different context – a complex, globalized and often difficult to understand world“, says Luminița Tăbăran.
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We remind you that the astronauts on the Artemis II mission entered the orbit of the Moon, and the crew reached the point of maximum proximity to the Earth's natural satellite.
The Orion capsule reached orbit early Monday morning, and the mission included highlights such as temporarily losing signal while passing behind the Moon and observing a total solar eclipse from space.
The moment was broadcast live, including on NASA's official Facebook page.
The crew, consisting of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, reached a distance of approximately 4,000–6,000 miles from the lunar surface.
The mission marks the first manned trip around the Moon since 1972 and sets a new benchmark for space exploration.
