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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.

18 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. It looks like by DaMattster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Both Mad Mike and the Coyote have been shopping at ACME.

    1. Re:It looks like by AndyKron · · Score: 3, Funny

      At least the Coyote's rockets didn't break in his driveway

  2. His "team" by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... as he and his team were preparing to leave Wednesday ...

    Meaning, his wife, dog, and two grand-kids visiting for Thanksgiving -- all holding globes of the Earth they got at the airport gift shop (and, yes, that includes the dog).

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  3. From T (original) FA by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Funny

    “I don’t believe in science,” said Hughes, whose main sponsor for the rocket is Research Flat Earth. “I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air, about the certain size of rocket nozzles, and thrust. But that’s not science, that’s just a formula. There’s no difference between science and science fiction.”

    I can't even ...

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  4. Re:permit by denzacar · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's what the globe producing lobby wants you to think.

    There's a reason they call it a global conspiracy.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  5. scientist by markdavis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >"forced self-taught rocket scientist "Mad" Mike "

    "scientist", really? Seems like a very odd word to use in a summary explaining he seriously [??] thinks the earth is flat?

    Perhaps self-taught mechanic, or self-taught assembler or something.

  6. Mad Mike Is Right by dryriver · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is a massive conspiracy to cover up the fact that the earth is flat. That is why secret operatives sent by no other than the United Nations and led by Colonel Kofi Annan personally broke his trailer. Once the truth gets out about what you see when you rocketeer above 300 feet, the world will never be the same again. What is that I hear you say? There are buildings taller than that? Those buildings are only real up to 299 feet. Everything above that is a strikingly realistic hologram. In fact, if you get into an elevator in a very tall building and press the button for the top floor, you are never seen again. They take you out of the elevator on the "extraction floor" at 299 feet, take you to the secret underground United Nations subterranean train station that was secretly built under every tall building 200 years ago, and send you on a one way journey to the edge of the world. What happens when you get there? You get thrown over the edge. Where do you land when they do that? On your ass of course.

    --
    Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
  7. Re:permit by Fly+Swatter · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's a reason they call it a global conspiracy.

    Damn straight. Those conspiracy theorists are flat wrong. Good thing there are level headed people in charge.

  8. Re:encouragement by sdinfoserv · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you read the article, he states he does he does NOT believe in science. "There’s no difference between science and science fiction.”, he continues. So, in the name of "Non-Science", lets encourage this asshat to an expedient joining of the Darwin Awards club.

  9. Re:He should really get a paramotor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Bonus points- you can't see curvature of the earth from that low.

    Why do you have to see the curvature for proof?
    Pick a direction and keep flying that way, he'll either
      A. Circumnavigate the earth and come back to where he started, proving Flat Earth wrong.
      B. Eventually come to the end of the Flat Earth, and will be able to get photographic proof (that no Flat Earther has yet ever managed to provide)
      C. Keep going and end up in strange lands not on any map.

    But then again, watching some deluded twat do his best Wile E Coyote impression into a rock face is more entertaining.

  10. Viewing curvature from 1500 feet by cahuenga · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So he builds a rocket expected to reach 1,500 feet.... When there is an 11,500 foot mountain 50 miles from Amboy with a trail right to the tippy top.and a 360 degree view of the horizon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    Call me crazy but I really don't think this has anything to do with 'flat earth', science or rockets. He got his picture in the paper. End of story.

  11. Just to be clear... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not convinced this guy is really a "flat earther." Apparently, he only started "believing" in it within the last year or so, and after his first failed Kickstarted didn't generate enough backers. Suddenly, he starts advertising his Flat Earth chops and his follow up Kickstarter gets the attention needed for proper funding.

    Sounds more like a marketing tactic to me...

    Anyway, I'm not trying to call the guy out as some kind of Flat Earth Wannabe or anything, but the media seems really committed to playing right into his hand.

  12. It's a conspiracy by Big Rocket by sandbagger · · Score: 3, Funny

    They just want to keep their monopoly on chemical reactions and Newtonian mechanics.

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
  13. Re:He deserves his horrible fiery death let's face by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think he should use a cluster of 25,000 Estes C6-7 motors instead of steam.

    I once used an Estes C6-7 to launch a Revell model of a 1966 Thunderbird that belonged to my cousin. We never found the wreckage, so I assume it made it out of the Earth's gravitational field and is probably orbiting the Earth. My cousin was pissed off, but it was either his model Thunderbird or his hamster, so I'm pretty sure he got off easy.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  14. Re: He should really get a paramotor by ClickOnThis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Have you ever personally verified that the Earth is round? Few have.

    Anyone who has travelled to a different latitude and has seen the difference in the positions of the stars has seen first-hand that the Earth is a spheroid. That's not a "few" people.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  15. Re:encouragement by ClickOnThis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There is no reason to level disdain and malice toward this man.
    He has his own sort of courage and intellect, let him be.

    Alas, no. His "courage and intellect" are not helpful. His motivation is not the kind of good-faith naïveté that seeks to discover new things. It is the kind of stubborn blindness that seeks to affirm rigid beliefs that are not supported by evidence.

    Let him be? Perhaps. But let's not celebrate his ignorance.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  16. 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.
  17. Re: He should really get a paramotor by religionofpeas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Have you ever personally verified that the Earth is round?

    Have any flat earthers personally verified that the Earth is flat ?

    Get a bunch of flat earthers from different places in the world in an on-line chat, and ask them to measure the angle of the sun. Repeat a few times at different hours. Now try to construct a flat Earth model that matches all the observations. Try the same with a standard round Earth.