Off Topic > Other Conspiracy Theories
Help for a Discussion with flatearthers and moonlanding deniers
Dr.Acula:
After a long time, I am back. Actually I’m talking to some conspiracy theorists on Instagram. I noticed that many moon landing deniers are also convinced of the flat earth. Now, as "proof", I was presented with a publication from the Ames Research Center, that NASA also considers the earth to be flat. The publication is the NASA Reference Publication 1207 “Derivation and Definition of a Linear Aircraft Model” by Eugene L. Duke, Robert F. Antoniewicz and Keith D. Krambeer.
The summary reads: “This report documents the derivation and definition of a linear aircraft model for a rigid aircraft of constant
mass flying over a fiat, nonrotating earth. The derivation makes no assumptions of reference trajectory or vehicle symmetry. The linear system equations are derived and evaluated along a general trajectory and include both aircraft dynamics and observation variables.”
Since I am not an aviation expert, I would like to know how this introduction should be understood. Flatearthers take this document as proof that NASA also describes a flat earth. I know that there is a wealth of knowledge available here, so I thank you in advance for your help.
bknight:
I have not read the document but flying flat terrain (Earth) very likely describes flying over non mountainous terrain. But that is just cherry picking on the part of CTs.
Dr.Acula:
That was my first thought either, but I'm struggling with the term nonrotating
LunarOrbit 🇨🇦:
This is how Microsoft Copilot summarizes that report:
This report, titled "Derivation and Definition of a Linear Aircraft Model," was published by NASA's Ames Research Center and authored by Eugene L. Duke, Robert F. Antoniewicz, and Keith D. Krambeer. The purpose of the report is to establish a linear aircraft model for a rigid aircraft of constant mass, flying over an idealized flat, non-rotating Earth.
Key Points:
- Linear Aircraft Model: The report aims to derive and define equations for a linear aircraft model.
- Rigid Aircraft: The aircraft is considered rigid, meaning it doesn't deform or change shape.
- Constant Mass: The mass of the aircraft remains constant throughout the analysis.
- Flat, Non-Rotating Earth: The model assumes the Earth is flat and non-rotating for simplicity in mathematical derivation. This is a common approach in many engineering and physics problems to simplify calculations.
- No Assumptions of Reference Trajectory or Vehicle Symmetry: The derivation does not assume any specific flight path or symmetry in the aircraft's design.
- General Trajectory: The equations are evaluated along a general trajectory, covering various possible flight paths.
- Aircraft Dynamics and Observation Variables: Both the dynamics of the aircraft and the variables that can be observed during flight are included in the system equations.
The mention of a "flat, non-rotating Earth" is a mathematical simplification to make the derivation of the equations more straightforward and manageable. It does not imply that NASA believes the Earth is flat. In scientific and engineering contexts, simplifying assumptions are often made to focus on the primary aspects of a problem without getting bogged down by unnecessary complexities.
Dr.Acula:
Thanks for clarifying, although I suspect, this will be handwaved away as usual.
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