Recently a video of a press conference of Sunita Williams went viral on social media claiming it to be a press conference after her safe return to the earth. In the video, Sunita Williams can be heard talking about Bhagwat Gita and Upanishads and appreciating her Indian heritage. She said that she took a copy of the interpretation of the Upanishads and a copy of the Bhagwat Gita to space with her. Sharing the video on Facebook, a user wrote, “Sunita Williams credits Bhagwad Gita & Upanishads for her safe return. She stayed in space for 9 months”.
Facebook Link | Archived Link.
However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The video is not recent. It’s from 2013. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a tweet where the viral video was uploaded. The tweet read, “FLASHBACK: Sunita Williams’ 🇮🇳-Inspired Space Odyssey
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has previously spoken fondly of her Indian heritage – from her love of samosas to uncovering her spiritual side, revealing she took Ganesha and the Bhagavad Gita into orbit, emphasizing its importance for personal reflection and spiritual connection during her mission.
What would you take into space?”
The text overlay on the video reads, “Sunita Williams in Delhi”
Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of NDTV on 2 April 2013. From the timestamp 0:40, the viral clip can be seen. According to the description of the video, Sunita Williams visited India and spoke at the National Science Center, Delhi on 1 April 2013.
We found another video report by DD News on 1 April 2013. The viral clip can be seen from the timestamp 1:20. The description of the video read, “In a four day visit to India, India-American NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams interacted with the students of schools from across New Delhi at National Science Center.”
This makes it clear that viral video is old.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The press conference of Sunita Williams in the viral video is old. This has no link to her recent return to the earth.
Title:Old Press Conference Video Of Sunita Williams Going Viral As Recent.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: Misleading
