A conspiracy theory circulating widely on social media claims that NASA secretly prepared for a global “gravity blackout” scheduled for August 12, 2026. According to the viral posts, a leaked classified document called “Project Anchor” allegedly predicts that Earth will temporarily lose gravity for seven seconds, causing people, vehicles, and buildings to float before crashing back to the ground, allegedly resulting in millions of deaths.
However, our investigation found that the viral story has no factual basis. There is no evidence that NASA has ever created a project called “Project Anchor,” and the scientific explanation presented in the posts contradicts fundamental physics.
Social Media Posts
A conspiracy theory has gained traction across various social media platforms, alleging that a classified NASA report titled “Project Anchor” has been leaked. The viral posts claim the document predicts that Earth will experience a total loss of gravity lasting seven seconds on August 12, 2026.
Fact Check
No Evidence That “Project Anchor” Exists
The central claim depends on the existence of a secret NASA document called Project Anchor.
Searches of NASA’s official publications, press releases, technical reports, the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), and publicly available archives found no evidence of any project or document by that name.
NASA maintains publicly accessible databases for scientific reports, mission documents, and research publications through the NASA Technical Reports Server. No document matching the descriptions circulated online can be found.
Likewise, no Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release, congressional record, academic publication, or reputable news organization has produced any evidence that such a document exists.
NASA Has Directly Denied the Claim
NASA denied the claim when contacted by Snopes. In a statement provided to the fact-checking outlet, a NASA spokesperson said that Earth “will not lose gravity on Aug. 12, 2026,” explaining that Earth’s gravity depends on the planet’s mass and cannot simply switch off.
The spokesperson also clarified that the total solar eclipse occurring that day has no unusual effect on Earth’s gravity, although the Sun and Moon do influence Earth’s tides in well-understood and predictable ways.
No NASA press release or official webpage discussing “Project Anchor” exists. Instead, the agency responded directly to Snopes after the fact-checking outlet requested comment.
Earth’s Gravity Cannot Simply “Switch Off”
The viral posts fundamentally misunderstand how gravity works. According to Newton’s law of gravitation and Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, gravity is not a machine that can be turned on or off.
Earth exerts a gravitational pull because it possesses mass. The gravitational acceleration near Earth’s surface is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared, and this force exists continuously because Earth’s mass remains essentially constant.
To eliminate Earth’s gravity, the entire planet would need to lose virtually all of its mass instantaneously. There is no known natural process capable of doing this.
Furthermore, there is no established theoretical mechanism that would allow for a temporary suspension of gravity. The scenario described is inconsistent with the fundamental laws of modern physics.
Gravitational Waves Cannot Cause Earth to Lose Gravity
Many versions of the theory claim that two gravitational waves from colliding black holes will intersect on August 12, 2026, causing a temporary cancellation of Earth’s gravity.
However, this hypothesis is not supported by current scientific evidence or the known properties of gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are real phenomena predicted by Einstein in 1916 and first directly detected in 2015 by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
They are ripples in spacetime produced by energetic events such as merging black holes or neutron stars. By the time these waves reach Earth, their magnitude is extremely small. The distortions they create are smaller than the width of a proton, requiring highly sensitive scientific instruments for detection.
Current scientific understanding indicates that gravitational waves do not cancel gravity or temporarily eliminate Earth’s gravitational field. They pass through Earth with effects that are not observable to human senses.
As astrophysicists interviewed by Popular Mechanics and IFLScience explain, the theory applies scientific terminology to describe a scenario that is not feasible under the laws of physics.
The Total Solar Eclipse Is Real But Unrelated
One reason the conspiracy appears convincing is that August 12, 2026 is indeed an important astronomical date.
A total solar eclipse will occur on that day. The eclipse will be visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal and other regions. Learn more about the eclipse on NASA’s official eclipse page here.
Although eclipses can slightly alter local temperatures and lighting conditions, they have no measurable effect on Earth’s gravity.
Scientists have accurately predicted eclipses for centuries, and there is nothing unusual about the eclipse scheduled for August 2026. NASA’s eclipse resources describe it as a routine celestial event rather than any kind of planetary threat.
Conclusion
The claim that a leaked NASA document called “Project Anchor” predicts Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds on August 12, 2026 is false.
There is no evidence that “Project Anchor” exists, NASA has explicitly denied the rumor, and the proposed mechanism contradicts well-established principles of physics. Earth’s gravity cannot suddenly disappear without the planet itself losing its mass, and gravitational waves cannot switch gravity off.
Although a total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, it is a normal astronomical event with no connection to Earth’s gravitational field. The viral story is an internet hoax that combines genuine scientific terminology with fabricated documents and unsupported claims to create a misleading narrative.
Title: False: No Evidence NASA’s “Project Anchor” Predicts Earth Will Lose Gravity for Seven Seconds on August 12, 2026
Fact Check By: Pranpreeya
Result: False
