Sure, the aging International Space Station has a well-known, ongoing leak. But it’s not nearly in danger of imminently crashing.
NASA responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that the “ISS is going to crash soon via de-orbit,” and included a screenshot from a 4chan post with a blurry graph showing altitude data. The space agency likely responded in an attempt to get ahead of a dubious post that’s picking up decent traction (with nearly 9,000 likes and hundreds of shares by the afternoon of Dec. 18).
“The International @Space_Station continues to orbit the Earth as planned, and the crew aboard is safe. You can track the space station’s current path anytime at https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/tracking_map.cfm,” NASA posted on X.
The post is an example of the deluge of misinformation available on X. Indeed, X has a feature, Community Notes, that the platform says allows users to “collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts” — and it can sometimes address egregious misinformation. But not always, and not immediately. Misinformation can thrive on the platform.
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In this case, NASA’s busy communications team thought it wise to respond. Such a response probably won’t stop the conspiracy-minded — who can crave “knowledge” that makes them feel unique or superior — from sharing and amplifying the space station post, but perhaps it can inform some users and stem this particular wave of misinformation.
NASA expects the space station to continue orbiting Earth and performing science through around 2031. A U.S. Deorbit Vehicle built by SpaceX will attach to the ISS and bring it down to Earth in a controlled, safe manner, specifically avoiding populated regions. In the 2030s, the space agency expects commercial space stations to take responsibility for providing a U.S. presence in low-Earth orbit.
You can often easily spot the space station, the largest structure ever built in space, when it passes above your home. Check out spotthestation.nasa.gov for an overhead sighting near you. It reflects lots of sunlight, making it the second-brightest object in the night sky after the moon.
You’ll see, it’s still there.
