Author Topic: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.  (Read 266529 times)

Offline JayUtah

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #135 on: June 18, 2012, 01:32:07 PM »
Looks like I missed most of this discussion.  Not that it's really a discussion, just the standard "stealth entrance, big finish" conspiracy rant.  But I'll weigh in here first, then go back and look at the thread in more detail.

How do you expect me to answer all of them? Or at least deal with them?
Cry me a river.  You purposefully take a minority standpoint and then explicitly argue that standpoint where you'll find lots of critics.  Why would you not expect a deluge of opposition and criticism?  If you want a place to rant against NASA and pat each other on the back for how clever you are, there are plenty of forums that keep critics out for you.

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Just address the 10;11 mark, address the rectangle and colour dissonance along its lines. Simple as that.
Encoding artifact.  And you're only the 100th self-proclaimed "photo analyst" to try to make something of it.  Go study photo analysis for a year in an accredited program, as I did, and get published, then maybe we'll take you seriously.

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Don`t call people names behind their back. If you want address hunchbacked, invite him here, or let him reason his refusal.
He left voluntarily.  If you make a scene and leave the room, what do you think the conversation in that room will be about for the next few minutes?  He's welcome to come back any time and continue the debate where he left off, or complain about having been talked about.  You don't have standing to defend him, so please concentrate on your own arguments and stop trying to poison the well.

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If you were really educated people, or people dealing with science, you would...
"If I ran the zoo."

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If you were really scientists, and engineers, i would gladly see what have you built with your own hands.
I would gladly show you, but it's presently 22,280 miles out in space and looks a little like this.  I would show you a few other things I've built, but they tend to be expendable and consume themselves as they operate.  And yes, my (gloved) hands were on that equipment helping to construct it, along with other engineers and technicians.  If you'd care to come to my work, I'll show you a city block full of equipment that I and my company have built (yes, much of it with my own two hands) to support our engineering.  And if you go out to our manufacturing and test facility, I'll show you even more.

Instead I'll ask you what your academic and professional qualifications are.   Do they include any formal adjudicated training in the sciences, engineering, or any of the topics you've attempted to invoke here?  How many spacecraft have you personally worked on?

You seem to suggest that engineering expertise is in building small objects by yourself.  I think you confuse engineer with "mechanic" or "hobbyist."  I'm sure you're proud of the things you have built.  But that does not make you an engineer.

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And you could have asked me the same questions.
I am doing just that.  What academic and professional experience qualifies to you criticize and label fraud the U.S. space program?  Put up or shut up.

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Where are you space , and aviation engineers? come out
I'm right here.  I've been working in aerospace for about 25 years.  My last major project was computational fluid dynamics for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, in a contract that paid me and my team about $10 million a year for 5 years.  I've studied engineering and computer science at three different universities and taught it at one of them.  I work in this field, am recognized in this field, and have been quoted in many places as an expert on Apollo.

Pardon my attitude, but who the [bleep] are you?

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i will gladly discuss airframes anf future aircraft.
Another time and place, because that's my second-favorite subject (next to historical aircraft and spacecraft).  But here and now we're discussing the validity and authenticity of the Apollo missions; airframes and speculative aircraft have nothing to do with that.  If you have knowledge or expertise that bears on Apollo, now would be a good time to invoke it.

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And you know for yourself that there are atronauts who have talked about how beatiful the stars were from space...
Yes, I've spoken to them personally and directly.  I know the circumstances of which they speak.  You should also know that these same people (i.e., several of the Apollo astronauts) endorse my knowledge of their missions and the means they used to carry it out.  Don't invoke them unless you're prepared to play with the big boys.

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and you know that this issue has been addressed by jarrah White...
What are his qualifications to do so?

At least we know where you're getting your information.  Don't pretend that you can leach off Jarrah White, spew his nonsense amid trained professionals, and hope this bluffs you past their questions.

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You know , how NASA has added fire to the conspiracy by declaring no flyby zones...
NASA has simply asked other space-faring nations not to fly spacecraft so low over two of the Apollo landing sites that they disturb the artifacts, which have historical significance to the United States.  They have little means to enforce that request.  The other four sites are fair game, and no one has enjoined international orbital photography and surveillance, which has already happened.  You protest too much.

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...how they have postponed and postponed the return to the moon, joggling from `irrelevant-been there done that, to let`s do it in 2050.
NASA hasn't postponed anything.  For that you can blame the elected officials who control NASA's budget and agenda and use it as a political pawn.  You don't know how American government works.

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isn`t it amazing that those truly amazing science people were not even interested in having superb star pictures taken on the far side of the moon.
"If I ran the zoo."

You can take star pictures more effectively from Earth orbit than from lunar orbit.

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Want the paper work from Boeing about lunar rover, nope, sorry, we flushed it down the toilet.
Not according to Boeing.  Scott Sullivan and other engineers were able to find quite enough information on the LRV from public sources (i.e., without even having to go to the Boeing archives) to reverse-engineer it.  I've been able to personally inspect components of the LRV that were built but never flown.  Boeing has confirmed to me that they retain a substantial archive of LRV-related materials, but the practicality of storing it makes it difficult to inspect casually.  Typically those records are microfilmed and stored off site in climate-controlled bunkers.  They are retrieved only when there is a business case to do so, such as if Boeing were asked to build a new rover and wanted to reclaim the previous investment.  Boeing is not a library.  They do not habitually make their records available to private requests, at least not free of charge.

Also, the commercial production of a manned flying machine intended to satisfy a government contract entails the production of unbelievable amounts of documentation, much of which simply becomes irrelevant after the vehicle is no longer in commission.  Once the individual item is out of service, all the manufacturing, service, and test logs can go away.  Once the design is no longer in use, all the design validation results can go away.  There is much more produced in the course of an aerospace contract than is actually useful, historically speaking or in practice.  The law requires us to keep it around, but only for a while.  Due to its volume and the ongoing costs of retention, ephemeral documents are routinely destroyed when no longer needed.

If you worked in aerospace you'd know this.  Also, because of budget cuts, not a lot of money was allocated for records retention.  The contractors said to NASA, "Do you want any of this?"  And NASA had to respond, "We can only take some of it," which was dutifully turned over to the National Archives and constitutes what those archivists believe to be a suitable set of documents.

Further -- and you would know this if you had any experience in the aerospace industry -- the engineering development records for any particular product constitute a trade secret.  Even public contracts allow the manufacturer to retain trade secrets involved in the satisfaction of the contract.  NASA engineers may inspect trade-secret materials.  Investigative boards (e.g., the NTSB) may inspect trade-secret materials.  But they are bound to protect those secrets from public disclosure.  A fair amount of the Apollo contracts involved trade-secret processes, such as Grumman's chem-milling process for producing integrated skin-and-stringer panels and North American's sintering processes.  We choose these companies to fulfill public contracts precisely because they have that expertise.

The bottom line is that if you go to Boeing or Hawker or Lockheed or any large engineering company and ask to see detailed records for how they produce any of their products, at a certain point you'll be told you can't see them.  And it has nothing to do with shadowy hoaxed projects.  It has to do with you being irrationally nosy.

I have an enormous amount of data on the Dreamliner airframe.  If you came to my office asking for it, I'd tell you no and have security escort you out.  Why?  Because I have non-disclosure obligations to Boeing, and the lawsuit for violating it would probably ruin my company.  Hence you'd immediately be considered an industrial spy, and you'd be quite insistently compelled to leave our property.  Does that mean Boeing is hiding something sinister?  No, they're just protecting their immense investment in technology they hope will make them money.

That said, there is a colossal amount of information in the public record about Apollo's engineering.  I own a mere fraction of it in solid form, and it takes up more than 4 feet of shelf space in my office.  I have even started keeping some of it in my company library instead.  That doesn't even count the material I can obtain in digital form.

So don't even try to talk about the Apollo engineering records being somehow sealed or suppressed.  You really don't know what you're talking about.

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it is NASA itself that curbs the conspiracy.
Hogwash.  When NASA announced plans to fund an effort to answer all the conspiracy theorists' questions, the American public rose up and with a loud voice said, "No, do not spend our taxpayer money on such nonsense."  The project was quickly canceled.  You grossly overestimate the credibility of the hoax claims.  These claimants keep the questions open for their own ends, not because there's any actual controversy.  Jarrah loves all the attention he gets.  So does Bart Sibrel, and so did Bill Kaysing -- who flatly admitted he made the whole thing up just to embarrass the government.

Any time I need to contact NASA for answer, they're quite helpful and forthcoming.  On the contrary I've tried to deal with the major hoax claimants (e.g., interceding on behalf of television producers) and I find them to be secretive, evasive, and generally unwilling to have their claims examined.  Some of them won't appear with the others because they accuse each other behind the scenes of stealing each others' material and market shares.

Did you know Jarrah was invited to present his materials to a panel of experts in his hometown in Australia?  It was all arranged; all he had to do was show up.  He didn't even acknowledge the invitation.  Why do you suppose that is?

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Where is Baron`s report...
The short report is available and is part of the record.  As nearly as we can tell, Baron's long report was returned to him at the close of hearings.  From what we can tell in the short report, Baron had no real knowledge, no real credibility, and no real substance.  He was only put there by Walter Mondale, who was trying to use the Apollo 1 hearings to shut down Apollo and NASA for his own political purposes.  Putting Baron on the witness stand was a political stunt.

And none of that had anything to do with NASA.  NASA was one of the entities being investigated.

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...even if he was killed by an alien
Thomas R. Baron was killed by a train, not an alien.  Where do you people get this stuff?

The death of Baron and his family was investigated by the highway patrol and ruled an accident.  There was one report that it had been a suicide, but that was followed up on and found to be a rumor only.  No evidence supports this.  No one except a couple of conspiracy theorists have suggested that Baron's death was anything other than an accident.

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...what happened to NASA`s interest about the report of feasibility of the project.
Not sure which report you mean.  If you mean the report referred to by Bill Kaysing, then there is no such report.  Or at least none that he never produced it.  He merely claimed it existed and never once substantiated that claim.

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Talking about the stars I dont mean that by any conditions they could photograph stars, I mean they had a lot of chances  to adopt different lenses and exposure settings...
In your vast experience photographing stars, is that all that's required to obtain good pictures of them?

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...and use very good circumstances in shadows or behind huge boulders to make  really wonderful pictures.
They did.  They put a Schmidt camera in the shadow of the LM.  Why didn't you know that?  Why do you think your feeble suggestions of how and where to take photos are useful ones?

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Personally I would really like to photograph satellites of jupiter in vacuum, had I been on the moon.
"If I ran the zoo."

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I would be really interested in usinga FLIR camera as well.
"If I ran the zoo."

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And I would definitely ask a question where is Westinghouse with their cutting edge videocameras today?
The same place Magnavox is today with their video playback technology.  Times change, markets change, company focus changes.

"If I ran the zoo."

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What stopped them from accumulating expertize and  be a manufacturer of optics or consumer goods, domestically I mean?
Westinghouse was never a manufacturer of consumer video cameras.  Nor did their experience manufacturing special-purpose video cameras for space applications give them any particular expertise in consumer video technology.

If you knew anything about the video camera market, you'd realize that there's practically nothing in common between consumer video technology and commercial video technology, at least in terms of how the equipment is engineered.  Consumer video technology is about reducing size and recovering manufacturing costs through planned obsolescence.  During the heydey of the video camera market (which is waning now due to the incorporation of handheld video into smart phones), people replaced their camcorders every 18 months or so.  This means the goal is to make them smaller (i.e., more attractive) and more cheaply.  They are throwaway items, not meant to be repaired or to last very long.

In contrast, commercial video technology is about cameras that are rugged, field serviceable, and component-wise upgradable.  A professional videographer is going to own his camera for several years.  It's big and bulky in order to address the field-service and upgrade requirements.  It has interchangeable sensors and lenses because that's what he needs to perform his service.

In further contrast, scientific and engineering video technology is about surviving the harsh environment to which the video camera is going to be subjected, such as space, or the fiery maelstrom of the launch pad.  This is the market in which Westinghouse originally operated.  And for a time after Apollo they continued to design and produce specialty video cameras for rugged, harsh environments (e.g., underwater photography and data-acquisition applications).  But as with most American companies, they found themselves unable to compete in the 1980s with Japanese companies and so left the market.

"If I ran the zoo."  Don't pretend you understand that market and the engineering that supports it.

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I demand NASA for their future space exploration to (Mars) use their almighty F-1 engine and continue improving it.  :)
"If I ran the zoo."

What makes you think the rocket engines we use today don't descend appropriately from lessons learned on the F-1?  What makes you think the F-1 is suitable to today's needs?  What, other than its size and power, makes the F-1 the sine qua non and gold standard of rocket technology?

Don't pretend you understand the current drivers for the space engineering market.

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Now kinda interesting all of you attacking me simultaneously. I would like someone to take my side as well, or I am the only one here?
At present you're the only one here.  If your arguments don't convince anyone to take your side, try to work out why.  If you can't deal with being a very small minority, go back into your house, close the door, and draw the shades.  This is the real world, where practically every single appropriately qualified and educated person believes the Moon landings were real and has the knowledge to back up that belief.  If you want to kick that in the shins, be my guest.

If you want someone to take your side, convince that person that you're right and that your cause is worth taking up.  Don't just make a lot of demands for people to see things your way, and then complain when real life shapes up differently.

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Were you really gentlemen, you wouldn`t even allow me to be cornered by so many of you at the same time.
Yeah, every conspiracy theorist whines about being outnumbered and outgunned.  Try to work out why you're those things.  Hint:  it's not because everyone but you is sheeple.

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When addressing me, try to imagine , I am a human, not an indicted person in trial.
Appeal to pity.  You are the one making accusations of fraud and hoax.  If you don't want those accusations vigorously challenged, you're in the wrong place.  You don't get to parade your ignorance and arrogance around for all to see, then complain about shabby treatment.

When you address us, remember that you are addressing people who do for a living the things you say can't be or weren't done.  Your victim stance and bluster don't work on us.  Every conspiracy theorist does that.  We're used to it.
"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams

Offline advancedboy

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #136 on: June 18, 2012, 01:45:09 PM »
Stars- moonmissions gave them a chance to make pictures without atmospheric aberation, although, they could have  done it from low-earth orbit. Since they didn`t have adaptive optics then, they could used advantage of lack of atmosphere.  Also if they could see but couldn`t photograph, seems funny that on Apollo 11 they couldn`t remember what stars they could see, which was also admitted by Russian scientists  to be very weird.

Emma, I don`t care what your papers are, but rather what is that you do, meaning where you apply your knowledge and passion `muscles`.
 The video  with  the rectangle is suspicious,  it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy. Of course, you could imply that it was faked by the author who posted it.
I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people. I `d rather believe aliens hanging around S4 and flying around in a TR3a mercury plasma rotating engine than Apollo( as a comparison). Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.  Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.
 I sense, that it might be that some former astronaut is even here in these forums, reading it and being angry to me.  Just a guess.  I also have this feeling that most of you work for government institutions or formerly did, hence the reservedness about 9/11 simple yes/no answers.
About lunar rover paperwork. So it means James Collier was lying. Hmm, that would be very strange.
-And Emma, I didn`t break any rules on that forum, as I posted the moonhoax ideas in off-topic section.
Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?
Another question, what else do you discuss, because I don`t see many posts or topics here dealing with much at all. Is it because you moved the site?

Offline sts60

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #137 on: June 18, 2012, 01:55:23 PM »
Hi, advancedboy.  A belated welcome to the board.

I have not had the chance to peruse this thread in detail, but the notion of "strong" vs. "weak" Apollo hoax claims, while interesting, is problematic.

A strong claim would do the following:
1. Identify an actual anomaly (not an error of understanding, personal opinion, wishful thinking, or fabrication) and explain it in terms of contributing to a hoax.
2. Explain how the "hoax" interpretation is preferable to the conventional explanation.
3. Provide some kind of evidence for the specific hoax activity.
And, at a higher level, a strong claim that Apollo was a hoax needs to:
4. Explain how the hoax makes sense in the context of the Apollo record.  This not only include the technical context, but the scientific, historical, political, budgetary, and managerial contexts as well.

I'm afraid that none of the hoax claims I have seen in ten years of fooling around on these forums, or in over two decades in the space business, even pass the first test, let alone all four.  That includes, I regret to say, the claims you have deployed here.  None of them are original and they have all been vetted rather thoroughly.  You've also made "if I ran the zoo" type claims, but don't appear to have much relevant expertise or familiarity with the Apollo record, so that doesn't help you.   Additionally, you've attempted poisoning the well (the "NASA employee" bit) and to invoke a DavidC/rocky style loyalty test.

You seem to be getting a little frustrated with your lack of traction here.  Yes, it can be intimidating to have a dozen people responding to everything, but this is a web forum, not a one-on-one debate.  It may also seem frustrating that no one is really buying your claims, but the regulars here collectively have a great deal of familiarity with the topics, as well as the well-worn hoax claims, and quite a few have significant relevant expertise.   

I don't really see any need for me to add to the specific rebuttals at this point, but I am curious if you have plans to offer any "strong" hoax claims at some point.  Thanks.

Offline Andromeda

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #138 on: June 18, 2012, 01:56:51 PM »
Emma, I don`t care what your papers are, but rather what is that you do, meaning where you apply your knowledge and passion `muscles`.

And I have said I choose not to tell you.  Suffice to say I am a trained physicist and I use my degrees both in my work and as part of one of my hobbies.


 
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The video  with  the rectangle is suspicious,  it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy. Of course, you could imply that it was faked by the author who posted it.

Compression artefact.  You have ignored Jason's question about the original film, why is that?


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I also have this feeling that most of you work for government institutions or formerly did, hence the reservedness about 9/11 simple yes/no answers.

WHICH government?  I assume you mean the American govt?  I have never even been to America, let alone worked for the government.  I have never worked for any government.  I am well aware of your ideas re 9/11.


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I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people. I `d rather believe aliens hanging around S4 and flying around in a TR3a mercury plasma rotating engine than Apollo( as a comparison). Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.  Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.

Well, yes.  I do believe anyone who thinks that something outside his own understanding MUST be fake is acting in an ignorant and foolish way, if he chooses not to educate himself or accept the word of experts.

« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 02:04:48 PM by Andromeda »
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Offline nomuse

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #139 on: June 18, 2012, 01:58:29 PM »
Stars- moonmissions gave them a chance to make pictures without atmospheric aberation, although, they could have  done it from low-earth orbit. Since they didn`t have adaptive optics then, they could used advantage of lack of atmosphere.

Little thing called HST.  Heard of it? 

Which makes more sense to you; build a nice big telescope and boost it just out of the atmosphere?  Or cram a small telescope in and amid all the existing equipment that is going all the way to the surface of the Moon?


  Also if they could see but couldn`t photograph, seems funny that on Apollo 11 they couldn`t remember what stars they could see, which was also admitted by Russian scientists  to be very weird.

Have you answered ANY of the direct questions yet?

What shutter speed would be necessary with the stock film and lens of the surface Hasselblad?
What is the percent-of-frame change in the apparent position of stars over a full year?  (Hint -- I asked you to look up the term "parsec.")


Emma, I don`t care what your papers are, but rather what is that you do, meaning where you apply your knowledge and passion `muscles`.
 The video  with  the rectangle is suspicious,  it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy. Of course, you could imply that it was faked by the author who posted it.
I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people. I `d rather believe aliens hanging around S4 and flying around in a TR3a mercury plasma rotating engine than Apollo( as a comparison). Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.  Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.
 I sense, that it might be that some former astronaut is even here in these forums, reading it and being angry to me.  Just a guess.  I also have this feeling that most of you work for government institutions or formerly did, hence the reservedness about 9/11 simple yes/no answers.

No.

This is the problem; to you, it is all about belief structures and "sides."

You can't seem to conceive that it is possible to discuss an issue on the science.

The refusal to answer your 9-11 question is not because of some group affiliation, it is because it is an asinine substitution of group think over debate.

As long as you fail to realize that, you will fail to have a meaningful debate on anything on this board.

About lunar rover paperwork. So it means James Collier was lying. Hmm, that would be very strange.
-And Emma, I didn`t break any rules on that forum, as I posted the moonhoax ideas in off-topic section.
Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?
Another question, what else do you discuss, because I don`t see many posts or topics here dealing with much at all. Is it because you moved the site?

Stop with the questions.  It is your turn to start answering some.

Offline Jason Thompson

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #140 on: June 18, 2012, 02:02:49 PM »
Stars- moonmissions gave them a chance to make pictures without atmospheric aberation, although, they could have  done it from low-earth orbit.

Precisely. On the other hand, being on the Moon gives them a chance to take pictures of the Moon and collect samples of its surface, which they absolutely CANNOT do anywhere else. Their object was to study the Moon, not take pictures of stars.

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Also if they could see but couldn`t photograph, seems funny that on Apollo 11 they couldn`t remember what stars they could see

Yeah, weird that they don't have total recall when asked about an experiment that didn't actually involve specifically looking at stars anyway...

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Emma, I don`t care what your papers are, but rather what is that you do, meaning where you apply your knowledge and passion `muscles`

It is still irrelevant. After all, if you're not a qualified aerospace engineer what does it matter if your opponents here are not?

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The video  with  the rectangle is suspicious,  it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy.

For the last time, JPEG COMPRESSION! That picture was NOT a digital image originally. It was taken on film. Any analysis for things like that needs to be done on the photo itself, NOT a digital scan of it.

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Of course, you could imply that it was faked by the author who posted it.

No, but I do believe the person who posted it does not understand photo analysis.

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I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people.

Fine. Then quit telling us off for talking about other people in negative terms, because you are doing EXACTLY that.

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Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.  Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.

I honestly do not understand the mindset of people like you. Why are you so happy to remain in ignorance? If you can't fathom it, why are you so unwilling to educate yourself so you CAN fathom it?

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I also have this feeling that most of you work for government institutions or formerly did, hence the reservedness about 9/11 simple yes/no answers.

How many times do you have to be told that the reservedness was purely the result of the way YOU framed the 9/11 question as some kind of litmus test of our objectivity? It is irrelevant to Apollo in every way.

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About lunar rover paperwork. So it means James Collier was lying.

No, but it does mean that he was WRONG. Why is it that conspiracy theorists cannot understand the difference between a mistake and a deliberate lie?

He tried to get some information. He was told it was not available. He implied from that it had been destroyed. The mistake is his. He's not lying, he's just plain wrong.

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Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?

Why should they when it works and is cheaper than making their own?
"There's this idea that everyone's opinion is equally valid. My arse! Bloke who was a professor of dentistry for forty years does NOT have a debate with some eejit who removes his teeth with string and a door!"  - Dara O'Briain

Offline Zakalwe

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #141 on: June 18, 2012, 02:03:03 PM »
The video  with  the rectangle is suspicious,  it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy. Of course, you could imply that it was faked by the author who posted it.
It might be. But is the original suspicious? And is your suspicion based on ignorance and a biased view, rather than one based on a detailed forensic analysis? Remember, just because you say something doesn't make it so

I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people. I `d rather believe aliens hanging around S4 and flying around in a TR3a mercury plasma rotating engine than Apollo( as a comparison). Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.  Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.
That, my friend, shows that you are being wilfully ignorant. And there is nothing that smacks more of intellectual cowardice than wilful ignorance.

Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.
Ever ask yourself WHY you can't fathom them? Ever considered that they were planned and executed by people with far more training, experience, and possibly more intelligence than you?

I sense, that it might be that some former astronaut is even here in these forums, reading it and being angry to me.

WTF has that to do with anything related to Apollo????


Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?
Another question, what else do you discuss, because I don`t see many posts or topics here dealing with much at all. Is it because you moved the site?
Again with the gish-gallop. Please answer at least some of the questions that have been addressed to you.


<edited to correct spelling>

« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 02:07:40 PM by Zakalwe »
"The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " - Isaac Asimov

Offline gillianren

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #142 on: June 18, 2012, 02:09:28 PM »
I am not a scientist (or a gentleman, come to that, another thing that arrogantboy hasn't responded to), but even I know that it isn't what you do at home that proves your understanding and that the pieces of paper can be extremely relevant.
"This sounds like a job for Bipolar Bear . . . but I just can't seem to get out of bed!"

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Offline Jason Thompson

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #143 on: June 18, 2012, 02:32:30 PM »
Hunchbacked was never banned on the old board, he just gave up posting when we all weren't incredibly impressed by his arguments.

I stand corrected. You can understand where I got confused though...
"There's this idea that everyone's opinion is equally valid. My arse! Bloke who was a professor of dentistry for forty years does NOT have a debate with some eejit who removes his teeth with string and a door!"  - Dara O'Briain

Offline sts60

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #144 on: June 18, 2012, 02:40:27 PM »
...If you were really scientists, and engineers, i would gladly see what have you built with your own hands...
(Leans back in chair and looks at collection of patches on tackboard)

Well, let's see.  One spacecraft is in a hangar in Houston, after having been deployed three times (one captive, two free flights) by various Shuttles.  One of the ground systems is in Virginia (one of the associated spacecraft is no longer operational, the other is at the bottom of the Pacific; that's the way it goes sometimes).  Another ground system is in Colorado; good luck getting past the civilian guards at the main gate, let alone the M4-toting Air Force young'uns and their German Shepherds at the inner gate, for a peek at that one*.  One of the spacecraft for which I've done engineering support is on its way to Pluto; another is on its way to Mars, so I don't think I can arrange a personal tour of either.  There's some other projects for which I provided ephemeral - I mean really minimal - support... one in orbit, the remnants of another long since cleaned up off the Wallops Island beaches, one is orbiting Saturn.  Some other systems are retired from Shuttle use.  One system I'm working on is getting built in a number of different states and doesn't have a ride (i.e., assigned spacecraft) yet.

Hope that helped.  (Picks up coffee cup, gets back to work.)


*And for Heaven's sake, don't step on the dirt track along the inner fence.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 02:42:39 PM by sts60 »

Offline Bob B.

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #145 on: June 18, 2012, 02:42:17 PM »
Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?

The RD-180 (co-produced by NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney) is used on the Common Core Booster of Lockheed Martin's Atlas V.  As long as that one particular rocket stage continues to fly its current design, it will use the RD-180.  If at some point in the future a redesign becomes necessary, it's possible the engine my change to something else.  In the meantime, as long as the US-Russian partnership is working, there is certainly no reason to change.

Why the fixation on the one particular engine?  American designed and manufactured engines have been used for decades in many different rockets.  The Atlas V itself uses a Pratt & Whitney second stage engine and the solid rocket boosters are made by Aerojet.  As another example, the Delta IV uses Alliant SRBs, a Rocketdyne engine in the Common Booster Core, and a Pratt & Whitney upper stage engine.  The RD-180 is used in only one stage of one rocket.

Offline Luke Pemberton

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #146 on: June 18, 2012, 02:46:47 PM »
Does that mean Boeing is hiding something sinister?  No, they're just protecting their immense investment in technology they hope will make them money.

A completely rational explanation that has conspiracy theorists screaming about compartmentalisation and hidden agendas of the industrial military complex, seeking codes in the words of the astronauts to support their crackpottery.  ::)
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former - Albert Einstein.

I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people – Sir Isaac Newton.

A polar orbit would also bypass the SAA - Tim Finch

Offline Luke Pemberton

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #147 on: June 18, 2012, 02:48:51 PM »
Well, let's see.  One spacecraft is in a hangar in Houston...

Now that's just showing off.  :-*
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former - Albert Einstein.

I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people – Sir Isaac Newton.

A polar orbit would also bypass the SAA - Tim Finch

Offline JayUtah

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #148 on: June 18, 2012, 02:54:18 PM »
moon missions gave them a chance to make pictures without atmospheric aberatuion although, they could have  done it from low-earth orbit.
Indeed.  Apollo was about landing a man on the Moon and returning him to Earth.  Every major project provides opportunities for various side projects.  Not doing some of them, in favor of the primary mission, is not evidence that those major projects are fake.  You're simply making up new rules for people to follow and trying to take them to task for not following them.  When you have your own space program you can run it any way you want.  But until then, your personal opinion of what constitutes a valid space program is simply irrelevant.

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...seems funny that on Apollo 11 they couldn`t remember what stars they could see...
Misrepresentation.  Sir Patrick Moore asked the Apollo 11 flight crew about star visibility under two different conditions.  One of the conditions involved substantial attention to the task at hand (solar corona photography), not to ephemeral observations.  The inability to remember an ephemeral detail is not per se suspicious.  The crew correctly and confidently reported the visibility of stars in the other conditions.

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which was also admitted by Russian scientists  to be very weird.
Citation, please.

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The video with the rectangle is suspicious...
No, it merely doesn't meet your expectation.  You have the burden to prove your uninformed, inexperienced expectation is valid.

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...it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to see that if there is a rectangle around a blob which seems to be an astronaut, there is something fishy.
Correct, it takes a photo analyst -- someone with the proper training and experience to know whether what he sees in a video is anomalous or not.  Since those of us who do have the proper training can correctly identify the feature as an artifact of video encoding, your repeated statements of uninformed belief are simply unconvincing.

I have asked you what your qualifications are for making these claims.  You have failed to answer.  The "It doesn't take an expert" rejoinder is characteristic of people who know they don't have the appropriate qualifications, so I'll assume that's my answer and that it confirms you claim no expertise or qualifications.

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I believe that Apollo was hoaxed, even if it implies surnames of these people.
Then if you unapologetically call them liars and frauds, you have very little moral room to call out others for alleged misconduct or defamation.  Calling someone a liar simply because you don't understand his claim is consummately bad manners, and you are egregiously guilty of it.

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I `d rather believe aliens hanging around S4 and flying around in a TR3a mercury plasma rotating engine than Apollo( as a comparison).
You're free to believe as you wish.  You're not free to suppose that all your beliefs are substantiated by objectively admirable evidence.

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Sorry,  I can`t fathom Apollo missions.
That's your problem.  Kindly don't blame that on those of us who can, which constitutes the vast majority of the educated world.

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Even if it means for you that I am ignorant fool. So be it.
I use the word "ignorant" with respect to you because I believe it accurately, succinctly, and fairly describes your approach to Apollo.  You seem to have steeped yourself in conspiracy materials and believed that this then endows you with an expert's view of the subject.  To confront actual experts with pseudoscience is, in my mind, a foolish thing to do.  But I don't need to call you names in order to understand your failure to make a valid point.
 
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I also have this feeling that most of you work for government institutions or formerly did, hence the reservedness about 9/11 simple yes/no answers.
No.  Most conspiracy theorists who fail to convince their audience end up muttering the same hogwash about how we're all government agents.  Conspiracy theorists tend to be very adverse to the notion that there can be informed objection to their beliefs.  Get over it.  Nobody here is a government agent -- current or former.

The reluctance to convert the discussion into a 9/11 debate is because we can see that it's a tactic you're using to try to change the subject and avoid being held accountable for your claims already on the table.

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About lunar rover paperwork. So it means James Collier was lying. Hmm, that would be very strange.
No, it would be par for the course for Jim Collier, who was quite possibly the world's worst journalist.  I document Collier's extensive error, dishonestly, manipulation, and misrepresentation on my web site.

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Another question, when do Americans plan to drop RD-180 in favour of their own design?

A good design is a good design.  When we have the need for a new design, we'll make one.  If market forces determine that it's better than one produced overseas, then good for its designer.  It's a world market at this point.

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Another question, what else do you discuss, because I don`t see many posts or topics here dealing with much at all. Is it because you moved the site?
Yes, this is a relatively new hosting agency for the site.
"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams

Offline Laurel

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Re: Strong arguments versus weak arguments.
« Reply #149 on: June 18, 2012, 03:09:17 PM »
I am not a scientist (or a gentleman, come to that, another thing that arrogantboy hasn't responded to), but even I know that it isn't what you do at home that proves your understanding and that the pieces of paper can be extremely relevant.
I'm not a scientist or a gentleman either. I have had a few temporary low-level government jobs, but not in the USA.
"Well, my feet they finally took root in the earth, but I got me a nice little place in the stars, and I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car..."
Bruce Springsteen