Source: https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-a ... 543le.htmlDaredevil dies in homemade rocket disaster on mission to prove Earth is flat
Washington: In December, buttressed by his conviction and advances in homemade rocketry, "Mad" Mike Hughes flipped on a camera and fantasised about the moment when he shows mankind that it lives on a verdant disk.
The plan was simple: fire into the sky on a steam-powered rocket and trigger a balloon to carry him to the Karman line, the 62-mile-high barrier that separates terrestrial from the extraterrestrial, filming the entire way. "For three hours, the world stops," Hughes said during a live stream.
Hughes, a self-styled daredevil, flat-Earth theorist and limousine stuntman, died on Saturday when his jury-rigged contraption propelled him on a column of steam, spiralled through the air and cratered into the sagebrush outside Barstow, California. He was 64.
"It was unsuccessful, and he passed away," longtime collaborator Waldo Stakes told the Associated Press, declining to comment further.
A video on TMZ.com showed the rocket taking off, with what appears to be a parachute tearing off during the launch. The steam-powered rocket streaks upward, then takes around 10 seconds to fall straight back to earth. Shrieks can be heard as the rocket plows into the desert.
Freelance journalist Justin Chapman, who was at the scene, said the rocket appeared to rub against the launch apparatus, which might have caused the mishap with the parachute.
"Mad" Mike Hughes, pictured in 2018, died after a rocket in which he launched himself crashed into the ground, a colleague and a witness said.
Hughes had ridden the rocket back to Earth on a parachute after other successful launches.
It was a tragic end for Hughes, perhaps the most visible and colourful advocate of the theory that Earth isn't a sapphire-and-emerald globe revolving around a massive star but rather a flat plane with a tiny sun above it.
He dedicated the past several years of his life to proving the theory from a high perch.
In March 2018, he rode his garage-made rocket 570 metres above the Mojave Desert, reaching a speed of 400 km/h, Stakes told the AP. It was the next step in Hughes' mission to photograph the world. "It'll shut the door on this ball Earth," Hughes said then.
Hughes recently signed on with the Science Channel to document his project on the television program "Homemade Astronauts," the channel, which is part of Discovery, said in a statement.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey," the Science Channel said.
But a spokesperson for the network wouldn't say if producers asked him to rein in his flat-Earth commentary for a channel that has science in its name - and at least theoretically would want to assure viewers the Earth is in fact round.
In a promo video ahead of the launch, Hughes does not mention his beliefs when he explains why he has endeavoured on his now tragically futile mission.
"It's to convince people they can do things extraordinary with their lives," he said. "Maybe it pushes people to do things they wouldn't normally do with their lives that will maybe inspire someone else."
Then Hughes expressed optimism for takeoff.
"We look forward to Saturday," he said.
The Washington Post, AP
Love how eveolution works!
Love how eveolution works!
Apparently, a friend said his flat-earth thing was just to get attention for his project.
Did he have kids before killing himself?
Did he have kids before killing himself?
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
At least he hit the earth at 90 degrees. As a flst-earther, I'm sure that's how he would have wanted it.
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- Felgerkarb
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His math must be way off, no way that vehicle could reach 62 miles up under steam power.
====================
Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
Whether or not he believed that the earth is flat, this man had brains and balls and the world is slightly worse off now that he is gone.
RIP
RIP
Harold, you are correct.
I refuse to go out with nothing more than a whimper followed by a small farting sound and a shit stain on my bed sheets..
Just thought I'd share that with you.
Just thought I'd share that with you.
There’s big bucks to made from these flat earth fools. I wish I had the capital to fund a survival type TV series where they were divided into groups and had to race to the edge. Whoever reaches the edge first wins $1,000,000.
I would hire Joe Rogan to host it and yell at them and coach them through wireless headsets. Think Fear Factor style, “come on you can do it!”
It would be a great success.
I would hire Joe Rogan to host it and yell at them and coach them through wireless headsets. Think Fear Factor style, “come on you can do it!”
It would be a great success.
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You could also have a spinoff series for the Hollow Earthers, where they race to the centre of the earth - Jules Verne would have e loved it
You could also have a spinoff series for the Hollow Earthers, where they race to the centre of the earth - Jules Verne would have e loved it
"We, the sons of John Company, have arrived"
- Stokely
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I asked my fat earther mate if he fancied a game of footy in the park.
"Great" he said" I'll bring the Frisbee"
"Great" he said" I'll bring the Frisbee"
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"Now, then, in order to understand white supremacy we must dismiss the notion that white people can give anybody their freedom." Stokely Carmichael
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