[ WP ] A space enthusiast launches a prototype rocket into space attached with a camera . When he develops the film , the photographs reveal a flat Earth .

Picture the Earth. I'll try to guess what you're seeing. A stunning blue sphere, with splotches of green and white covering its surface. A dot contrasted against the vast dark expanse of space. Twisting and turning around the sun, the moon its closest companion, shining brightly by the planet's side. 
 
 Truly a sight to behold. But I wanted to see it for myself. I sent up a rocket to orbit the Earth, its only purpose to take photos of this beautiful planet. And as I thought they would be, the pictures were marvelous, a true reflection of the beauty of nature. Yet instead of awe, my mouth was open in shock. 
 
 The image you have in your head is wrong. I saw the oceans, blue as ever and the continents floating on top. I saw the clouds, seemingly painted onto the surface. And if I squinted, I saw the mountain ranges, the seas, the islands, all humanity's residence. And yet, something was wrong. I did n't see the round sphere I expected to see. Instead I saw a planet, so familiar, yet so distant. I saw a flat Earth. 
 
 I stared at the photos with a blank look on my face. How could this be real? The shape of the Earth is a scientific fact that we've known for centuries, and yet I held in my hands the evidence that changes all that. Have we been wrong this whole time? I sat down and tried to comprehend it all. 
 
 I was in denial. I checked to see if somehow, there was something wrong with the picture, perhaps the computer had gotten the data wrong, perhaps it was sending faulty messages, perhaps someone was just messing with me. I held on to the tiny sliver of hope that I was wrong, that this was all just a big misunderstanding. 
 
 But alas, I was right. Though the possibility that perhaps something was wrong lingered in the back of my mind, I knew that it was true. I stared up at the night sky, looking at the stars. 
 
 Humans are very stubborn creatures. We refuse to believe we are ever wrong and when we do, we admit it with a sigh of disappointment instead of a smile, knowing that we've learned something new. We take it as a personal insult to our intelligence if we're wrong, thinking'we should've known.'' Thinking we're right is more important than being right. 
 
 But I am a logical, rational human being. I ca n't let my emotions overcome me. Knowing the truth is infinitely more important than being right. And yet I find myself so hesitant to admit the mistakes of my predecessors. To admit that we will have to re-learn everything about the Earth. To admit that we will have to start again. To admit that humans are mere mortals. 
 
 The thing about facts is that they're true whether you believe in them or not. But I can change that. I grabbed my lighter and lit the photos. I watched them burn up until they had turned into ash. And I went to sleep, happy.
