Online claims about a secret NASA project unravel as experts and platform context point to a baseless hoax.
A viral claim about Earth losing gravity for seven seconds has spread rapidly on TikTok, being reshared across various social media platforms.
The story began with a user named fiery_by_nature, who posted a video claiming Earth will temporarily lose gravity. According to the video, the event is set to occur on 12 August 2026 and will last exactly seven seconds. The creator alleged that NASA is aware of the event and is secretly preparing for it.
The video introduced a supposed initiative called ‘Project Anchor’. It claimed the project has a budget of £65.9 billion (approximately $89 billion) and is designed to prepare Earth for a brief gravity disruption. No documents, sources, or evidence were provided to support any part of the claim.
The specificity of the details helped the video gain traction. A fixed date, a named project, and a large budget figure made the claim appear credible to some viewers. As the video circulated, it sparked widespread discussion across TikTok, X, and other platforms.
Posts began repeating the same framing. ‘Seven seconds. One planet. Zero gravity,’ one widely shared caption read. Others questioned why such a claim would include exact figures if it were untrue.
Central to the rumour was the assertion that NASA was hiding information from the public, with the video suggesting that silence from the agency was proof of secrecy rather than absence of evidence. This framing encouraged viewers to question official sources and scientific institutions.
As the claim gained attention, users on X added community context to viral posts. These notes stated clearly that the story was a hoax originating from unverified social media rumours. They noted that no NASA project called ‘Project Anchor’ exists.
The notes also addressed the science behind the claim, saying that Earth’s gravity is generated by its mass and cannot be switched off or paused. There is no known mechanism that would allow gravity to disappear temporarily.
There has been no confirmation from NASA regarding any gravity-related event. No press releases, research papers, or budget records reference ‘Project Anchor’. The £65.9 billion (approximately $89 billion) figure cited in the video has no public source.
NASA has not issued statements confirming or denying the claim.
The rumour also prompted users on X to ask Grok AI about the scenario. One user asked, ‘what would happen if the earth loses gravity for 7 seconds?’ The response addressed the question as a hypothetical, not a real event.
Grok replied, ‘That’s a viral hoax — NASA hasn’t said anything about Earth losing gravity.’ It added that if gravity stopped briefly, people would feel weightless and loose objects might float slightly before falling back, and that it ultimately would be ‘survivable’.
The claim relies entirely on a single unverified TikTok video. It offers no evidence, no scientific explanation, and no official confirmation. Scientific principles also contradict the claim. Gravity is a constant force tied to Earth’s mass, not a system that can be disabled. No known technology or phenomenon supports the idea of a planned gravity blackout.
There is no evidence that Earth will lose gravity on 12 August 2026 and there is no confirmed NASA project called ‘Project Anchor”. The claim has been identified by users and community notes as a hoax.
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