I think it's deeper than that. For the United States alone, NASA's budget is trivial. This money is easily spent on imaging computers alone, the real money is collected to support the war effort.
The fat cat nations of the world, referrred to by themselves as the first world, spends ZILLIONS waging war on other nations, conviently located on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. Why would they foster that image unless they WANTED their citizens to hate the people on other continents?
People! Those nations aren't on the other side of the world, so far away that you don't have to care about them! They are right here! On the earth-platter! Only an accident of physics prevents you from seeing them!
No! You don't get it! The Government guys need to keep convincing you that your enemies are ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD so you won't see that they're really close! Your enemies are human! Not some other side of the world inhabiting alien things!
That's why the true earth is hidden! If you knew these people were RIGHT THERE, you wouldn't support war on them! It's been this way for ages!
Last time I checked, the USA and Britain didn't need any conspiracy or public support to wage war pretty much anywhere they want. This is the ultimate flaw in conspiracy theories. Governments will do what they want regardless they don't need to "conspire" to gain public support or "fool" the public. Everyone knows their intentions but they just plow on. Who's going to stop them?
People still walk around talking about the Bible as if it were truth, in the literal sense.
That isn't as uncommon as you may think.