“I want to convince people they can do extraordinary things with their life.” These are among the final words of Californian daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes, speaking of the planned launch of the steam homemade rocket that would take him to the edge of space, to see for himself if the earth was flat or not.
He never made it that far. Footage posted online shows the rocket tearing off the launch pad, losing the parachute and then taking seconds to crash into the desert near Barstow in California. CNN confirms Hughes died on the spot.
He was ejected from the rocket some time after the parachute and fell to the ground – and to his death.
A former limousine driver who held the Guinness World Record for the longest limousine ramp jump (2002, 103 feet in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine), Hughes was a flat-earther. He’d spoken about this before so, he decided to launch himself to the edge of space on what he called a “shoe-string budget” in order to get confirmation of it with his own eyes.
One day before the launch, Hughes recorded a video (you will find it at the bottom of the page), explaining how the homemade rocket would work and what he aimed to accomplish. He would document the attempt for a new series for the Science Channel, Homemade Astronauts, and then proceed to document his adventures with a “Rock-oon” (part rocket, part balloon) he was still working on.
Hughes was hoping to launch himself past the Karman Line, 62 miles into the air, the border between our planet’s atmosphere and outer space. From there, he would get first-hand confirmation that the earth was flat and not need any of the modern tech employed by NASA to do it.
“When God made Mike he broke the mold. The man was the real deal and lived to push the edge. He wouldn’t have gone out any other way! RIP,” Mike’s rep, Darren Shuster, says in a statement to TMZ on his client’s death.
Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey pic.twitter.com/GxwjpVf2md
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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