Astronauts from NASA’s Artemis 2, who recently returned from a flight around the Moon, were confronted by an aggressive conspiracy theorist on Capitol Hill. The incident took place in early May and was recorded on video, according to Space.com.

A man approached the crew to within a few meters and began shouting loudly:

He demanded that they stop lying and stop pretending, claiming that they had never been in space and urging them to follow Jesus, while saying that God was watching them.

A more restrained reaction than Buzz Aldrin

The situation recalled the famous 2002 incident involving Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who at age 72 punched conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel in the face after being harassed with similar accusations.

The Artemis 2 crew showed significantly more restraint. The astronauts largely ignored the shouting. Victor Glover, the mission pilot, simply waved slightly, smiled, and said “Take care” as they left.

The crew of the mission includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch from NASA, as well as Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

What the Artemis 2 mission is

Artemis 2 launched on April 1, 2026, becoming the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since December 1972. The four astronauts spent 10 days in space, performed a lunar flyby, and successfully returned to Earth.

The flight was streamed live by NASA from launch to splashdown. Thousands of people watched the launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The mission was extensively documented.

Why conspiracy theories don’t hold up

Denying the reality of Artemis 2 — as well as the Apollo missions — becomes increasingly difficult.

Lunar orbiters have already photographed Apollo landing sites. Laser reflectors placed by Apollo astronauts are still operating on the Moon and are actively used by scientists worldwide for precise distance measurements.

In addition, during the Apollo era, the Soviet Union — the United States’ main rival — closely monitored all launches. If the missions had been faked, the USSR would almost certainly have exposed the deception.

Experts also note that maintaining such a large-scale hoax involving thousands of people for over 50 years would be extremely unlikely, as at least one insider would have revealed it for fame or money.

In brief

Astronauts from NASA’s Artemis 2, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, were publicly confronted by a conspiracy theorist on Capitol Hill who claimed they had never been to space. Unlike Buzz Aldrin, who physically reacted to similar accusations in 2002, the Artemis 2 crew remained calm and walked away. The mission was fully transparent, widely broadcast, and independently verified, making such conspiracy claims increasingly unconvincing.