In a shocking turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the scientific community, a NASA astronaut has allegedly leaked classified satellite imagery proving once and for all that the Earth is a flat disc. The leaked image was reportedly taken from the International Space Station's Cupola observation module using standard crew-issued cameras and smuggled back to Earth using an encrypted drive.
According to sources close to the incident, the whistleblower in question was shocked to find that the Earth was actually a flat disc and couldn't bear to keep it from the public. At 4:42 AM last night, the images were leaked from a secure server and spread across the Internet in minutes. Governments have been attempting to identify the astronaut who leaked this information, but they have been untraceable so far.
An emergency press release was held by NASA officials at 2:30 PM today to address the viral images. The agency immediately discounted the leak as a sophisticated fabrication.
The images circulating online are nothing but an elaborate hoax. Orbital mechanics and centuries of physics and history do not lie — what the public is seeing is a highly manipulated image based on satellite footage designed to damage trust in scientific institutions.
Cybersecurity analysts and even scientific researchers around the world are highly doubtful of the agency's swift denial. Many digital forensics firms have claimed to have verified the legitimacy of the images, and several scientists have publicly claimed that it is possible for the Earth to be flat.
As the debate rages online, several independent scientific bodies have called for an immediate, third-party audit of NASA's active satellite feeds. Independent space exploration companies have stayed silent on the matter, though stock markets dipped slightly following the leak.
For now, the identity of the whistleblower remains a mystery, and the viral image continues to accumulate hundreds of millions of views. A secondary press conference hosted by the European Space Agency is scheduled for tomorrow morning to address the growing international skepticism.