Cosmonaut Miroslaw Hermaczewski allegedly says earth is flat - [joke]

Bunkmeister

New Member
This video is making the rounds in flat earth circles. Miroslaw Hermaczewski was a Soviet cosmonaut of Polish descent who flew a space mission in the 1970's.

I don't speak Polish and am unable to ascertain the full context of the comments. I was wondering if anybody has done any analysis to show the full context. I've heard that the astronaut was joking, but so far I don't have a good source. Obviously, I'm highly skeptical that this astronaut is declaring the earth is actually flat.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ys6bx5E3Ug
 
It would be more correctly to call him a former Polish cosmonaut in the thread title.

And he undoubtedly was joking about the Earth being flat. This was at the end of his appearance (timestamp 21:00)on a local TV channel in 2018, a longer version of which can be watched here:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJBsg4Uc3k
 
Last edited by a moderator:


Eutanazol 95%
5 days ago (edited)
That's the polish transcription and (possibly best that I can do) translation of whole question and answer about the flat earth case:

Transcription:

(Dziennikarz) - W tym roku w Polsce powstał tak zwany start up, czyli przedsięwzięcie innowacyjne, którego celem jest zbudowanie drona, który ma potwierdzić lub zaprzeczyć temu, że Ziemia jest rzeczywiście kulą zawieszoną w Kosmosie. Pan tam był, czy ziemia rzeczywiście jest kulą zawieszoną w kosmosie?
(M. Hermaszewski) - Jest płaska. Tak jak oczekują. Nie spodziewałem się co prawda tego pytania, ale zapewniam pana, że jest płaska.

Translation:

(Journalist) - This year in Poland was created a so called start up, which means an innovative project, which purpuse is to build a drone that will confirm or deny that earth is indeed a sphere floating in the space. You was there, mister, is the earth really a sphere floating in the space?
(M. Hermaszewski) - It is flat. As they expcet it. I haven't except this question but I ensure you that it is flat.
Content from External Source

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJBsg4Uc3k&lc=UgwM7BgMQYVROZXNb5l4AaABAg.91NKXFruB4-925oQHedy0B



and it was November 11 2018, not November 23, 2019 like your mirrored video says. the real link to the whole interview is above.

There were no such crowds in the KCK auditorium on November 11, if so many people were there at all. There were so many people willing to enter the meeting with General Mirosław Hermaszewski
Content from External Source
 
Last edited:


Eutanazol 95%
5 days ago (edited)
That's the polish transcription and (possibly best that I can do) translation of whole question and answer about the flat earth case:

Transcription:

(Dziennikarz) - W tym roku w Polsce powstał tak zwany start up, czyli przedsięwzięcie innowacyjne, którego celem jest zbudowanie drona, który ma potwierdzić lub zaprzeczyć temu, że Ziemia jest rzeczywiście kulą zawieszoną w Kosmosie. Pan tam był, czy ziemia rzeczywiście jest kulą zawieszoną w kosmosie?
(M. Hermaszewski) - Jest płaska. Tak jak oczekują. Nie spodziewałem się co prawda tego pytania, ale zapewniam pana, że jest płaska.

Translation:

(Journalist) - This year in Poland was created a so called start up, which means an innovative project, which purpuse is to build a drone that will confirm or deny that earth is indeed a sphere floating in the space. You was there, mister, is the earth really a sphere floating in the space?
(M. Hermaszewski) - It is flat. As they expcet it. I haven't except this question but I ensure you that it is flat.
Content from External Source

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJBsg4Uc3k&lc=UgwM7BgMQYVROZXNb5l4AaABAg.91NKXFruB4-925oQHedy0B



and it was November 11 2018, not November 23, 2019 like your mirrored video says. the real link to the whole interview is above.

There were no such crowds in the KCK auditorium on November 11, if so many people were there at all. There were so many people willing to enter the meeting with General Mirosław Hermaszewski
Content from External Source


I'm sure it's a translation, but it's hard to discern the context of his comment. Is it just deadpan sarcasm?
 
I speak Polish and listened to the entire interview. In my opinion General Hermaszewski is quite obviously joking. There are a few other things that he says in this interview that people have seemed to have conveniently ignored and just focused on the last flat earth question.

At around 11:30, the interviewer ask when was the first time that the General felt weightless and he responds by saying:

"To było po prawie dziewięciu minutach lotu rakietą kiedy już osiągnęliśmy wysokość orbity i przede wszystkim prędkość orbitalna..."

Translation:
"It was after almost nine minutes of flight on the rocket when we reached orbital altitude and, above all, orbital velocity..."

There he mentions two concepts that don't really fit into the flat earth model. The General then continues describing his flight and at around 12:20 says:

"Chciałem zerknąć na ziemie żeby zobaczyć, bo a nuż zejdziemy to... ale widzę, spojrzałem, okrągła rzeczywiście i zachód słońca bo lecieliśmy w kierunku wschodnim..."

Translation:
"I wanted to take a peek at the earth to see, in case we fall (back)... and looking, I see, it's actually round, and the sun is setting because we were flying in an easternly direction..."

He actually also makes a gesture with his hand showing the curvature (12:26). Then starting at 15:57, the interviewer asks if the General has seen any UFOs during his whole career as a pilot and cosmonaut. He responds by saying:

"Proszę pana ja wszystkiego nie mogę mówić, tym bardziej przy kamerach."

Translation:
"I cannot tell you everything, especially not on camera."

He then cracks a smile and laughs.

There are also a couple instances where the General needs to correct the interviewer regarding his training (on gliders), and the name of the commander of his space flight. He doesn't seem to be overly impressed by the caliber of questions and the preparedness of the interviewer.
 
If everything an astronaut/cosmonaut says is taken at face value just by virtue of being an astronaut/cosmonaut (even when said in an official capacity), then Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford actually saw a real live Santa Claus in orbit.
 
That's a nice story, that. Here's audio of them reporting on what they saw:


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqfIEQKnkJU


I would like to propose that story as a fake. Look at the footage of the 2 astronauts in the video with Santa’s sleigh behind flying behind them. If you look closely you can see the astronauts shadows are clearly being created by light coming from multiple light sources, indicating that this whole Santa encounter was obviously filmed in a studio, most probably at Area 51.
 
I also speak fluent Polish. This was an interview with a celebrated Pole, a general, and the (so far) only astronaut of Polish origin. The interview is him talking about his experiences in space, in orbit, around the globe. At the end, there is a comedy "...and finally". The interviewer feeds him a pre-planned question about "flat earth", the General feigns surprise, but volunteers that "It's flat". In the context of the interview, it makes for a hilarious ending, as well as good-naturedly poking fun at flat earth believers. The incongruity of discussing being an astronaut in orbit for half an hour and then saying it's flat makes it laugh-out-loud funny.
 
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