针对社交媒体上关于国际空间站即将坠毁的谣言，NASA通过官方账号进行了辟谣，强调空间站目前运行正常，宇航员安全。NASA还提供了空间站的实时追踪链接，以供公众查询。尽管X平台有社区注释功能来纠正误导信息，但谣言依然传播，NASA不得不亲自回应。空间站预计将持续运行至2031年，之后将通过SpaceX的脱轨飞行器安全受控地坠落，避开人口稠密地区。NASA计划在2030年代由商业空间站接替其在近地轨道的工作。

🛰️国际空间站目前运行状态良好，并未出现任何即将坠毁的迹象。NASA已在社交媒体上公开辟谣，并提供了实时追踪链接以供公众查询。

📢社交媒体上的不实信息传播迅速，尽管X平台有社区注释功能，但仍无法完全阻止谣言的扩散，迫使NASA官方出面澄清。

🚀国际空间站预计将运行至2031年左右，之后将由SpaceX的脱轨飞行器安全带回地球，并会避开人口稠密区域，确保安全可控。

💡NASA计划在2030年代由商业空间站接替其在近地轨道的工作，未来将有更多商业机构参与太空探索与开发。

Sure, the aging International Space Station has a well-known, ongoing leak. But it's not nearly in danger of imminently crashing.

NASA responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, claiming that the "ISS is going to crash soon via de-orbit," and included a screenshot from a 4chan post with a blurry graph showing altitude data. The space agency likely responded in an attempt to get ahead of a dubious post that's picking up decent traction (with nearly 9,000 likes and hundreds of shares by the afternoon of Dec. 18).

"The International @Space_Station continues to orbit the Earth as planned, and the crew aboard is safe. You can track the space station’s current path anytime at https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/tracking_map.cfm," NASA posted on X.

The post is an example of the deluge of misinformation available on X. Indeed, X has a feature, Community Notes, that the platform says allows users to "collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts" — and it can sometimes address egregious misinformation. But not always, and not immediately. Misinformation can thrive on the platform.

In this case, NASA's busy communications team thought it wise to respond. Such a response probably won't stop the conspiracy-minded — who can crave "knowledge" that makes them feel unique or superior — from sharing and amplifying the space station post, but perhaps it can inform some users and stem this particular wave of misinformation.

Tweet may have been deleted

NASA expects the space station to continue orbiting Earth and performing science through around 2031. A U.S. Deorbit Vehicle built by SpaceX will attach to the ISS and bring it down to Earth in a controlled, safe manner, specifically avoiding populated regions. In the 2030s, the space agency expects commercial space stations to take responsibility for providing a U.S. presence in low-Earth orbit.

You can often easily spot the space station, the largest structure ever built in space, when it passes above your home. Check out spotthestation.nasa.gov for an overhead sighting near you. It reflects lots of sunlight, making it the second-brightest object in the night sky after the moon.

You'll see, it's still there.