Overview

• Conspiracy claims arose after a Tiangong Class video showed an open glass of water remaining still in microgravity.
• Experts, including University of Chicago historian Jordan Bimm, explained surface tension causes water molecules to cling to each other and to the glass in weightlessness.
• A follow-up clip revealed astronauts filling the glass with a straw and securing it to a table with Velcro ahead of the buoyancy demonstration.
• Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok initially fueled confusion by incorrectly stating that water would float out of an open container in space.
• Astronauts typically rely on sealed pouches and straws for drinking because water resists pouring from open vessels in microgravity.