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Flat Earther's Homemade Rocket Launcher Breaks Down in His Driveway (desertsun.com)

The Desert Sun has an update on the progress of 61-year-old self-taught rocket scientist 'Mad' Mike Hughes: A man who believes Earth is flat, and was ready to launch himself from a rocket in California on Saturday afternoon to prove it, has canceled his plans. At least for now. Not having the required federal permits plus mechanical problems with his "motorhome/rocket launcher" forced self-taught rocket scientist "Mad" Mike Hughes to put his experiment on hold. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management "told me they would not allow me to do the event ... at least not at that location," Hughes said in a YouTube announcement, amid international attention over his plans to launch into the "atmosflat."

"It's been very disappointing," he said... "My feeling is that one of the top executives at the Bureau of Land Management called Needles, California, saying... 'What's going on? Who permitted this?'" Hughes said. Plus, as he and his team were preparing to leave Wednesday, the motorhome/rocket launcher broke down in his driveway, he said... His plan is to try again next week.

3 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. Re:scientist by Frank+Burly · · Score: 1, Informative

    Per wikipedia. he has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, took an astronomy course from Carl Sagan, and got a couple patents while working in aerospace. Please don't compare him to a flat-Earther just because he doesn't believe in a six-day creation or Exxon's scientists.

  2. Re:He should really get a paramotor by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Informative

    The reason for this according to flat earthers is that the light "falls down" and thus it LOOKS like the ships disappear into the horizon but instead what really happens is that the light from the ship falls down in front of you. First, of course, you start to no longer see the lower parts, because they're closer to the ground.

    Discussing flat earthers and other fringe theorists is a bit of a hobby of mine. They're a really creative bunch.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Rewhat does the underside of the earth look like? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Turtles..all the way down...