Chaps,
Can someone please answer one question. This comes from a post earlier on but was lost in the semantics of arguing about other things.

Why would there be a round earth conspiracy?

What does anyone gain from the shape of the earth being one particular thing?

Quite a few hundred years ago we all thought the earth was flat because we had no perspective and no ability to see what was going on round about us. We could not look outside our field of vision which presented us with a flat vista.
Gradually over time people who believed the earth was flat observed and calculated certain things and came to the conclusion, open mindedly, that the earth was not flat.

These guys had nothing to gain, (and often times a lot to lose, for instance their lives.) by claiming the earth was round(ish) but they still did so, because what they observed was irrefutable in it's standing.

Why would there subsequently be a conspiracy to ensure that the Round Earth idea was put forward? If the earth was actually flat, it would not cause anyone any problems. There is no need for a conspiracy.