HAARP’s inception was funded by the US Air Force and the US Navy, although since 2013 it has been under control of the University of Alaska's Geophysics Institute. The facility’s main job is to research and measure the ionosphere of Earth's uppermost atmosphere. Since this part of the upper atmosphere plays a big role in the transmission of radio signals and geophysical processes, it has many scientific, civilian, and military applications.
Perhaps because of this tie to the military, the facility has had more than its fair share of conspiracy theories. Here’s some of the most popular and imaginative:
- Hugo Chavez, former president of Venezuela, said HAARP caused the Haitian Earthquake.
- Wrestler-turned-political commentator Jesse Ventura has suggestedHAARP bombards people worldwide with mind-controlling radio waves.
- A Russian military journal has said that HAARP could potentially flip Earth's magnetic poles, according to WIRED.
- Chemtrails are part of HAARP’s program of weather modification.
- The Space Shuttle Columbia was shot down in 2003 as “target practice” for the HAARP project.
- HAARP was initially set up by Nazi Germany.
