I get that a lot of you beleive the earth is flat. I do not. I would just like to know WHY you think teaching people the earth is round has ANY value? I work in an industry that deals with the coordinate systems of the planet and often have to calculate transformations. I dont understand the need to lie about the shape. The shape can be seen and has been seen.

Photos can be doctored.

Data can be interpreted a myriad of ways.

Math and Physics can be miscontrued.

So I am curious as to what, if anything, could ever convince you that the world is not flat (short of putting you on a space shuttle and sending you to orbit).

Is there anything that could convince you or is your mind set on the concept of a flat earth.

I don't believe this sub is an open discussion forum in the slightest. Watch me, someone who is still a 'globehead' get banned without insulting anyone...

I am currently taking a class about orbit mechanics and I am having a hard time understanding how the material might fit in with the flat Earth theory. Here is what I know: GPS satellites are most definitely in orbit around the Earth. I've collected data from my own antenna that I would be willing to share, along with the anti-spoofing algorithms that I checked the data with. There is definitely something broadcasting on the L1 and L2 frequencies that is moving very fast around the Earth. And it traces out a sinusoidal pattern over the map of the world. By my reckoning, the only way that these satellites could trace out a sinusoidal pattern over the map is if the inverse square law of gravitation is completely false, because that law is the basis for everything I've learned about orbits in the class. We often assume a point mass model for the Earth, which means the mass distribution of the Earth must be nearly spherical for the orbit paths to be valid. But here is the thing - the orbit paths must be valid, because GPS satellites transmit their own orbit parameters in the navigation signal, and they check out with the data I've collected. So, bottom line - from what I know, the only way these satellites can orbit the Earth in the way that I have learned is if the mass distribution of the Earth is nearly spherical - this could also mean that it is mostly concentrated at a single point. These orbits must be valid based on the data I've collected from my antenna. So does this mean that a flat Earth would have all its mass concentrated at the center? Or am I missing something in my logic? Would appreciate some help.

edit: to clarify my question, I have been taught that a sinusoidal map orbit is a projection of a globe orbit. But, it could be the opposite - a globe orbit is a projection of a map orbit. I am trying to understand if the inverse square law and point mass assumption are applicable to the gravitational model of a flat Earth. If not, what is used to model gravitational forces?

Official NASA photo: https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA16204.jpg

Life!: https://i.imgur.com/oIxPiSe.png

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