Pernicka used the example of throwing a paper plane at one of his students. 'It makes our modeling equations much easier to manage,' he said in an email to USA TODAY.

Hank Pernicka, the director of Missouri Science and Technology's Space Systems Engineering Laboratory, said this is a common practice for aerospace engineers. However, this is quickly followed by, 'The systems have been broadly formulated to accommodate a wide variety of applications,' and 'These models are widely used, not only for computer applications but also for quick approximations.'įact check roundup: Debunking the flawed science behind flat Earth claims In the 1988 report Derivation and Definition of a Linear Aircraft Model, one of the reports mentioned in the viral video, the authors write, “This report details the development of the linear model of a rigid aircraft of constant mass flying over a flat, non-rotating earth.' 'Similarly, in pictures from space we can plainly see a noticeably curved Earth.' 'The Earth’s rotation can be seen by the naked eye while observing sunrises, sunsets and the position of the moon in the night sky,' Margetta said in an email to USA TODAY. The reports in the post are real and use the term 'flat, non-rotating earth.' They are not, however, evidence NASA believes in the flat Earth theory, said Robert Margetta, a NASA public affairs officer. NASA has consistently said the Earth is a round, rotating globe, and the documents referenced here don't prove otherwise. The 'flat, non-rotating earth' model is a common technique used to generalize mathematic equations, experts said. The original TikTok has been removed from the app. Various iterations of the post have spread to Facebook and Instagram.įollow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks Our rating: False When will people learn!?!' the caption says. 5 Instagram post ( direct link, archive link) shows a TikTok in which a man reads and shows screenshots from various NASA reports that reference a 'flat, non-rotating earth' model. Watch Video: NASA completes Artemis I mission with Orion splashdown in Pacific The claim: NASA admits the Earth is flat and non-rotatingĪ Dec.

Is the earth flat or round? history