Thanks for the comment.
If the earth is a round disk like the one depicted below -- wouldn't that explain why you cant go in straight lines? Also, I play around with HAM radios myself and know where you're coming from, but couldn't the radio waves be bouncing off the dome above us?
No
And if radio waves were bouncing off a stationary object how would you explain Doppler drift ?
Hi sir @fulltimegeek. I'm not sure if you're being serious or not. But in case you are...
I'm a geology student and I do not agree that we're only being tricked to believe that the Earth is an oblate spheroid for the following reasons:
Almost all measurements, tools, equipment, prediction models, and etc about our planet (at least in the field where I belong - geology) is based from physics principles and the fact that the Earth is oblate spheroid in shape - From identifying earthquake-prone areas such as the Circum Pacific belt. The tools used - seismographs, magnetic compasses etc. Finding oil, determining our geological history (how our current mountains, landscapes, etc turned out to how it looks right now), etc. These all are based from the fact that the Earth is nearly spherical.
Also, these models:
With that, there's not reason to just trick the people. Telling and even publishing lies would only render those hard work useless.
To add to that, these geological models are being applied. If we do not know the areas mostly susceptible to earthquake, many would have been dead right now and many more will die in the future for living along those fault systems.
I recommend the following books to be read:
With regards to NASA: It would be useless to go to space, see the true shape of the earth, and not tell the truth.
I found a live feed here: earth live