'Mad' Flat-Earther to Launch Himself 5,000 Feet Up on a Homemade Steam Rocket Sunday

[Eugene]

Source: Space.com

'Mad' Flat-Earther to Launch Himself 5,000 Feet Up on a Homemade Steam Rocket Sunday

By Chelsea Gohd a day ago Spaceflight

Amateur rocketeer Mike Hughes is reaching for new heights.

"Mad" Mike Hughes — a flat-Earther, rocket builder and daredevil who previously launched himself 1,875 feet (572 meters) into the air on a homemade rocket — will attempt to launch himself again to a much higher altitude this Sunday (Aug. 11). The attempt will be filmed by the Science Channel for the upcoming new series "Homemade Astronauts."

In March 2018, after a few failed attempts, Hughes successfully launched aboard his rocket and survived the trip, landing via parachute. The then-62-year-old Hughes walked away with some soreness and a compressed vertebra, he told Space.com. In the upcoming launch attempt, Hughes will aim for an even greater height: 5,000 feet (1,500 m).

Hughes will lift off aboard a refurbished, improved version of the steam-powered rocket he launched last year. He told Space.com that he's using steam to propel his rocket because it is both inexpensive and relatively simple. "There's no fuel cost; it's water," he said. "Homemade Astronauts," which is set to premiere in 2020, showcases civilians who endeavor to build and launch rockets and equipment for spaceflight.

Hughes again will take off from a mobile platform — another unique aspect of this home-brewed launch setup. In 2018, he launched "from the back of a motor home that I bought off Craigslist," he said, adding that this time, he will launch "on the back of a semi that was given to me." Sunday's liftoff will take place thanks to funding from hud, a casual dating and hookup app (yes, really), according to a press release.

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Read more: https://www.space.com/flat-earther-mad-mike-hughes-august-2019-launch.html

[Crabby Appleton]

1. What could go wrong? Nt

[Downtown Hound]

2. I am not even remotely opposed to this plan

Hope he has made out his will.

[BannonsLiver]

3. The "Science Channel"

Highlighting people who don't believe in basic science.

[BigmanPigman]

4. What will he say when he gets so high he sees the horizon is curved

and NOT flat. Bon Voyage "mad" Mike.

[Blue_true]

7. He won't remotely see that at 5,000 feet.

Most commercial airplanes fly in the 25,000 to 40,000 feet range. If you look down on the West (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico) from a plane window, you see pure flat (except for mountains) on a clear day.

I don't know how far up a person has to get to start seeing Earth curvature, maybe someone with knowledge in that area can weigh in.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Go for it, mad Mike!

[Thekaspervote]

17. Could ya like take the dotard with you??!!

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Likely to soon be a flattened flat-earther ... nt

[Blue_true]

8. He likely has a bailout parachute. The biggest danger is his rocket

falling on someone on the ground who is unaware. If I understand he does the tests on the salt flats, which are unpopulated for large distances.

[Claritie Pixie]

9. 5000 feet isn't high enough. So stupid.

[royable]

10. Why not just hike or drive up a ten thousand foot mountain

Plenty of them out West.

[Downtown Hound]

18. Because then he wouldn't get idiots

And those seeking publicity to give give him money through sponsorships. I'm somewhere around 90 percent sure that this guy is one giant troll, and all this flat Earth crap is just to get attention so people will fund his "Daredevil" stunts.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Again?

His attempt at this nonsense a year ago almost killed him!

Nutcase.

[CentralMass]

12. ...

[RockRaven]

13. From what I've read/heard elsewhere, this guy is just a grifter who realized flat-earthism

was a schtick which had a combined audience of a) moronic conspiracy believers and b) people who would indulge him "ironically" and both groups would give him money to fund his stunts/experiments.

His history of stunts, dare-devil-ism, etc predates his involvement with flat earth belief.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hughes_(daredevil)

[zackymilly]

14. He is not a flat-earther. He only claimed to be to get funding from the flat-earthers...

...for his rocket in 2018. He needed money to complete the project and they were the only ones offering it to him.

[AJT]

15. You can't see the curve of the earth at 5000 feet. What a moron.

[Blue Owl]

16. Did he claim that people from across the globe will be watching?

n/t

[Grown2Hate]

22. I see what you did there. Maybe he'll get a big round of applause.

[TeamPooka]

19. Bless his heart. nt

[Takket]

20. Do your thing, Darwinism

[Captain Zero]

21. Probably using Clean Coal to build up that steam charge.

Scotty: "I'm giving her all I got, Captain !"