But I knew how badly things could go wrong. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Sometimes, I feel like the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, when he suddenly runs off a cliff, Hughes told The Times ahead of the jump. He was convinced that shadowy international cabals were running the world. Famously known as Mad Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. Hughes' death permanently affected the players on the field that day. I spent four days over two weekends in Amboy. 'Mad' Mike Hughes' fatal rocket crash caught on video By Daniel Cassady February 23, 2020 4:05pm Updated Video posted online shows the exact moment "Mad" Mike Hughes' homemade rocket came. Effectively, he was duped by FET (theory and theorists) into recklessly risking his life. This Christmas, Its Firmageddon as Climate Change Hits Oregon, More than a million acres of state forest contain trees that have succumbed to stressors exacerbated by a multiyear drought, A New Computer Proof Blows Up Centuries-Old Fluid Equations. Flat Earth-assisted crowdfunding campaigns. So instead of floating gently to the ground, he crash-landed after a wild 11-second flight. Mike wanted to build the rocket himself, he said. Science Channel gave this a platform, read one tweet. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. I also wondered if Hughes was serious about the earth being flat; assuming he was, I thought about the implications of his death when it came. Regardless of what happened, he still built a rocket and he launched a rocket. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry, successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? In the aftermath of Hughess death, many viewed it as the ultimate culmination of the dangers of pseudoscience, heavily criticizing the media, particularly the Science Channel, for giving oxygen to his views. I knew that the previous three launches had only barely avoided catastrophe. [9][2][10], According to the Associated Press, Hughes built his first crewed rocket on January 30, 2014, and flew 1,374 feet (419m) in just over one minute over Winkelman, Arizona. However, he holds the American nationality and white ethnical background. Its not clear what went wrong. The tension was growing, and so, it seemed to me, was the possibility of a last-minute mistake. He raised only $310. We usually watch his matches on our DVR, long after theyve been played. He shared a video on Twitter and said Mad Mike Hughes just launched himself in a self-made steam-powered rocket and crash landed. He lived in California. The tragic difference here is that he was duped into a ridiculous and unnecessary proof of something that is already beyond requiring any further evidence. A representative of Mad Mike has explained what went wrong during the daredevils fatal rocket launch last month. This, it turned out, was Mike Hughes, who billed himself as the worlds most famous limo driver by virtue of having set a world record for the longest jump in a Lincoln Town Car with the flying qualities of a cinderblock. "Storm Chasers" stars Matt Hughes has died at the age of 30 after committing suicide. I think the mainstream media gave him way more attention than he deserved. The root of this objection, however, had less to do with safety and more to do with community members questioning the purity of his motives, the seriousness of his project he never contributed anything evidential, as far as Im aware, says Long or his alignment with the Flat Earth cause. The more outlandish and provocative the content, the more interest, and hence more views. He Jiankui discusses his plans for finding cures for devastating genetic diseases. [23], Following Hughes' death, Darren Shuster, his public relations representative, stated: "We used flat Earth as a PR stunt Flat Earth allowed us to get so much publicity that we kept going! I listened skeptically as Waldo sketched out the scenario in the wood-paneled living room of Mikes small, dark, sparsely furnished house, while four cats slinked shamelessly over the sofa and coffee table. For me, the Research Flat Earth livery on the rocket was tangible proof that the project was nothing more than a circus sideshow, and I was relieved that Id stayed away. His launch was reportedly filmed as part of Homemade Astronauts, a new TV series about amateur rocket makers. The canopies shredded. Mike, along with Waldo Strakes, built a homemade steam-powered rocket whose intention was to fly 5000 feet in the year. Mikes limousine parked at El Ranchito Rakete, Waldo Stakes property in Apple Valley, California. The crowd was bigger than I expectedfour or five dozen peopleand a lot more varied. Although a public promoter of the flat Earth model, following his death his public relations representative said that Hughes had only used flat Earth as a PR stunt to acquire funding for his rockets. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on their mission to prove that the Earth was flat, and shaped like a frisbee. Mike Hughes, a go-it-alone daredevil, limousine stunt driver and self-taught astronaut who professed to believe that the Earth was flat and who was known to supporters as Mad Mike, died in a . Should the scientific community trust him? That network was the Science Channel, and their cameras were at the fatal launch to record part of a series Homemade Astronauts, in which Hughes would star. Fatal Rocket Crash Landing", "Daredevil dies during homemade rocket launch in California", "A Daredevil Flat Earther Died After Attempting To Launch Himself 5,000 Feet With A Homemade Rocket", "Mike Hughes, 64, D.I.Y. "[13], The untested initial rocket was intended to reach a speed of 500mph (800km/h); further rocket trips, which were to be launched from a balloon 20 miles (32km) up,[14] were intended to reach above the atmosphere into outer space. Those dreams ended on the edge of the Mojave Desert. accident on rt 15 dillsburg, pa today; leonardo de lozanne estatura; affects relatively small area in width and distance; i spit on your grave (2010) full movie 123movies Not only that, his childrens identity remains confined. World of Wonder Productionsthe television company behind RuPauls Drag Raceevidently reached a similar conclusion and signed Mike and Waldo to a Science Channel reality show tentatively titled Homemade Astronauts. Email me with new blog posts by Danny Faulkner Blog: This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google [22] The launch event was being filmed for the Science Channel television series Homemade Astronauts, in which Hughes was to star. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey. If those people promoting a flat earth for profit and dont believe the earth is flat had any decency, I would hope the death of Mike Hughes would cause them to stop. He held an American nationality. The author interviewing Mike while the TV crew films, August 2019. It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. Well, of course he got killed. Indeed, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. (Apparently, theyd been stolen by local meth heads.). Mad Mike Hughes died on February 22 when the parachutes on his homemade steam rocket failed to deploy and he augured into the sagebrush near Barstow, California, like a giant lawn dart plummeting at more than 300 miles per hour. However, his landing led him three days to recover. [8], At the time of his death, Hughes lived in Apple Valley, California. "Mad" Mike Hughes, 64, crash-landed his steam-powered rocket shortly after. No, I didnt kill Mike, but I was part of the ecosystem that exploited him, and thats on me. Hughes said afterward, Am I glad I did it? At the time of his death, he was under indictment for extortion, thanks to a scheme based on his theory that spelling a persons name entirely in capital letters entitled someone else to their entire estate (or something like that). There were concerns about potentially boosting the profile of a flat-Eartheror gratuitously ridiculing onebut we agreed that deft writing and editing could skirt those issues. That launch seemed to go flawlessly, as the parachute remained intact and slowed his descent. This was in Amboy. Mike, along with Waldo Strakes, built a homemade steam-powered rocket whose intention was to fly 5000 feet in the year. It took me two years to figure out how this works. Hughes was officially pronounced dead at 5:34 p.m. An autopsy revealed that he had died of acute coronary thrombosis, brought on by premature hardening of the arteries. A US daredevil pilot has been killed during an attempted launch of a homemade rocket in the Californian desert. He flipped over before reaching a cushion of tires but was unhurt. Hughes reported no serious injury from the landing. Despite the coverage Hughes efforts attracted, he was a highly divisive figure within the Flat Earth community. Mike Hughes and his rocket at the 2018 Flat Earth International Conference I attended in Denver. I think were looking at 50-50, Waldo said blithely. His mission was to launch his vessel to a height of 35,000-feet in . Hughes, who believed the Earth is flat, had previously said his goal was to fly to the edge of outer space and see for himself if the world is round. Flat Earth Community Undeterred by Death of Mad Mike Hughes, Violated, Confused, and Incredibly Disrespected: Another Woman Accuses Andrew Callaghan of Sexual Misconduct, Andrew Callaghan, Popular Host of All Gas No Brakes and Channel 5, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Mormon Church Sent Patients to Sex Therapist Even After One Accused Him of Abuse. Its not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease. I dont want to take anyone elses word for it, he said after a March 2018 launch in the Mojave Desert in which he shot his homemade rocket over 1,800 feet into the sky, I dont know if the world is flat or round.. In 1974, he turned pro, and in 1979, he became the top Ice Speedway motorcycle racer in the U.S., the biography says. Far from prompting people to re-examine their own beliefs, if anything Hughes death cemented their commitment to chasing what they believe to be the truth at any cost. Hughes had no close relatives and lived alone in Apple Valley with his four cats, Brusseau and Linn said. Mike Hughes was born in 1955. Since then, Ive read long, dry obituaries in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Mad Mike attracted attention for his conspiracy theories and for documenting his bold pursuits. Thats why me and Waldo didnt get too involved in helping him build it.. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey, the TV network said in a statement. Video posted online shows the exact moment Mad Mike Hughes homemade rocket came crashing down to Earth after a failed launch attempt, killing the self-styled daredevil. I headed to Barstow first thing Saturday morning feeling a sense of dread. I shouldn't have been there to witness it. It will be updated soon. Apart from this, he gained lots of attention due to his theory and he was trying to prove that Earth is flat and aimed to reach at 62 miles into the air in order to clear Karman Line. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes family and friends during this difficult time. So Waldo invited Mike to live on property he owned on the southern edge of the Mojave in Apple ValleyWaldo had whimsically dubbed it El Ranchito Raketeand it was there that work commenced on a new-and-improved launch vehicle. 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