Listen to this articleA California man who lengthy held the perception that the earth is flat has died after his home-made rocket blasted off into the desert sky and plunged again to earth as he was trying to fly to the fringe of outer house to prove that the earth is flat and never spherical.
“Mad” Mike Hughes, 64, was killed on Saturday afternoon after his rocket crashed on personal property close to Barstow, California.
Waldo Stakes, a colleague who was at the rocket launch, confirmed Hughes’ dying to The Associated Press.
The Science Channel mentioned on Twitter it had been chronicling Hughes’ journey and that “thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time.”
“It was always his dream to do this launch,” the Twitter message said.
Hughes additionally was a limousine driver, who held the Guinness world file for “longest limousine ramp jump,” for leaping 103 toes in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine, at a speedway in 2002.
The video beneath confirmed the rocket taking off, with what seems to be a parachute tearing off throughout the launch. The steam-powered rocket streaks upward, then takes round 10 seconds to fall straight again to earth. Shrieks will be heard as the rocket plows into the desert. Watch the video.
In March 2018, Hughes propelled himself about 1,875 toes into the air. He deployed one parachute after which a second one however nonetheless had a exhausting touchdown in the Mojave Desert in California, and injured his again.
“This thing wants to kill you 10 different ways,” Hughes mentioned after that launch. “This factor will kill you in a heartbeat.”
He mentioned in a video that his aim was to ultimately fly to the fringe of outer house to decide for himself whether or not the world is spherical.
“I don’t want to take anyone else’s word for it,” he mentioned in the video, posted on the BBC News web site. “I don’t know if the world is flat or round.”
In one other video posted on his YouTube website, Hughes mentioned he additionally wished “to convince people they can do things that are extraordinary with their lives.”
“My story really is incredible,” Hughes as soon as informed The Associated Press. “It’s got a bunch of story lines — the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, plus the Flat Earth. The problem is it brings out all the nuts also.”
