‘Mad’ Mike Hughes was a man with a plan and sadly that plan never came to fruition due to a horrific accident taking his life.
For years, Hughes was trying to prove that the earth was flat by rocketing himself to the Karman line, the 62-mile-high barrier that separates the atmosphere and the cold vacuum of space. Filming the entire time, he would prove that the earth was indeed flat. That was his theory anyways.
Hughes, a self-styled daredevil, flat-Earth theorist and limousine-jumping stuntman, died Saturday when his crudely built contraption propelled him on a column of steam, spiraled through the air and crashed into the sagebrush, just outside Barstow, Calif. He was 64.
(James Quigg/Daily Press/AP)
The entire crash was caught on video by a few of the 50 bystanders during the launch. As seen in the video below, Hughes’ rocket takes off with extreme force, but sheds the rocket’s parachute within seconds of launching. The rocket ‘rockets’ high into the sky, but then abruptly takes a downward turn, crashing on to the desert floor. Gasps and screams can be heard by Hughes’ family and friends as the rocket plummeted towards the earth.
Warning: The video does show the rocket hitting the ground.
A short piece by CBS News about Mike and mission and prior rocket launch attempts.
Regardless of one’s views about Hughes’ theory, there is no doubt that his determination and ingenuity was incredible! He wanted answers for himself, set on a mission and without fear — attempted to complete that mission.
Rest in peace Mad Mike.
