Via iStockphoto / @decodedpropaganda TikTok
On April 1, NASA launched Artemis II. The subsequent 10-day voyage around the moon fascinated viewers around the world, with eager viewers doing everything from discussing the menu onboard the ship to watching the craft’s daily updates on YouTube.
However, some weren’t so sure about this mission. Even before the mission started, internet users were posting wild theories about what was happening, ranging from “the astronauts were actually on a green screen” to “images captured of the moon were faked.”
Now, a TikTok user has captured the imagination of viewers by offering a new perspective on what happened during this mission. Could it be that NASA launched Artemis to cover up another, secret plan?
Is There A Secret Behind The Artemis Mission?
In a video with over 1.5 million views, TikTok user @decodedpropaganda explains his theory that there’s something more going on with the Artemis II mission.
According to the TikToker, the “Artemis II” mission may not be a lunar flyby mission at all. Instead, it could be a secret asteroid deflection mission tied to the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, also known as DART.
To start, the TikToker claims that several scientists connected to NASA and space programs have died or disappeared in recent years. One of those scientists, he says, was connected to the APEP missions, an acronym for “Atmosphere Perturbation around Eclipse Path.”
“It’s a weird freakin’ name. Almost like they came up with the acronym first and then just tried to wedge words in that would work with it,” he says. “Because, as we know, NASA loves their acronyms that have a double meaning.”
“Do you know what the other meaning for APEP is? It’s the other name for Apophis,” he continues. “And what’s the asteroid that could possibly impact Earth in the near future? Apophis.”
What Is Apophis?
As previously noted by BroBible, Apophis is an asteroid that some believe could come close to hitting Earth in the next few decades.
“Now, scientists are saying that it’s not going to, but I think they’re lying,” the TikToker states.
He then states that, in the Bible, “they call it wormwood.” He later clarifies that he interprets the book of Revelation’s mention of wormwood as an asteroid.
“There’s a biblical prophecy that talks about a potential asteroid, and then there are these missions that seem like they’re trying to divert asteroids,” he summarizes. “Do you know what the scientific name for Wormwood is? I’m at a loss for words. You cannot make this s— up. Artemisia absinthium. Artemis.”
“Think about it. Imagine that there’s an imminent impact with Earth. Would NASA spend any of their time and resources on doing anything else beyond trying to stop that from happening? Of course not,” he continues. “But if all their missions told the public what was happening, you would have utter chaos. So, they have to cover it up. And this Artemis II mission is so fake because it had nothing to do with bringing people around the moon. It was a DART mission. That’s my theory.”
Is There Any Truth To This?
The TikToker spins a pretty good tale. Unfortunately, basically no part of it stands up to even the slightest bit of scrutiny.
To start, there’s no reason that NASA would need to conceal another DART mission. Why? Because the original DART mission was already public. Not only that, but at the time of its launch, it was largely uncontroversial.
In fact, NASA has an entire office, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), devoted to protecting the planet from asteroids and comets. In effect, they have already “told the public what [is] happening.” If NASA stated that they wanted to hit an asteroid to save the Earth, it’s difficult to believe that there would be arguments against the maneuver.
There’s another problem with the DART theory. To put it simply, there’s a significant amount of photo and video evidence that the astronauts did, in fact, make a lunar orbit. While the TikToker seems to imply these could have been edited or green-screened, investigations into claims of fabrication have found them to be false and, in many cases, AI-generated.
As for the APEP/“they came up with the acronym first and then just tried to wedge words in that would work with it” theory, this is true—but it’s not a conspiracy.
In fact, a simple Google search brings up a page on the NASA website on the topic. According to the 2023 article, Aroh Barjatya, who led the APEP program, chose the name “because it is also the name of the serpent deity from ancient Egyptian mythology, nemesis of the Sun deity Ra.” The words of the acronym were added later—a fairly common practice.
What About Apophis?
There’s really nothing to say about the TikToker’s Apophis theory apart from “He’s wrong.” To put it simply, NASA and other space organizations, such as the European Space Agency, all say that the asteroid will not hit Earth. For the “asteroid impact” theory to be true, pretty much every space agency on Earth would have to agree to the cover-up. This is exceedingly unlikely.
As far as the connection between wormwood, the Bible, and the Artemis missions, there’s just nothing there. Wormwood is from a genus of plants named after Artemis. The new lunar missions were given the name Artemis because, in mythology, Artemis is both associated with the Moon and is the twin of Apollo, the namesake of the original lunar missions.
The one part of his video that is undeniably true is the current media chatter around the deaths of several scientists involved in sensitive research. While it’s true that 10 major scientists have died or disappeared in recent years, and that the government is currently looking into a potential link, that doesn’t mean one has been established.
In fact, there’s a significant amount of evidence that shows these deaths and disappearances are not connected. For example, some are unsolved homicides, while others involve disappearances with no evidence of foul play. Per CNN, “in at least two instances, families have pointed to preexisting medical conditions or personal struggles as explanations.”
What Did NASA Say?
In an email to BroBible, NASA reiterated that the primary objective of Artemis II is to send astronauts on a crewed flight around the Moon and return them safely to Earth. This is a goal the agency says the mission successfully achieved. The spokesperson also emphasized that Artemis II is not related to planetary defense.
Beyond the main objective, NASA outlined five key priorities for the test flight: ensuring the crew can be safely supported throughout the mission, validating critical systems and operations for deep-space travel, collecting hardware and performance data for future missions, testing emergency procedures, and verifying spacecraft subsystems. The mission is designed to help prepare for long-term human exploration and a sustained presence on the Moon.
The Big Picture
To summarize the TikToker’s claims, he uses a real NASA mission, an elementary comprehension of mythology, a misunderstanding of naming conventions, a Bible verse, a plant’s Latin name, and a few social media clips to come to the conclusion that NASA and other global space agencies are secretly hiding an asteroid threat for reasons he does not articulate. Any evidence to the contrary, he appears to wave away as “I think they’re lying.”
In short, it’s not a theory worth any of your time or mental energy. Yet again, don’t believe everything you see on the internet.
BroBible reached out to @decodedpropaganda via TikTok direct message and comment.