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Flat Earther Plans New Rocket Launch, Predicts Super Bowl-Sized Ratings (phillyvoice.com)

Self-taught rocket scientist/daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes will finally launch his homemade rocket in two weeks -- despite "anonymous online haters questioning his every move." An anonymous reader quotes PhillyVoice: He's found some private land in the "ghost town" of Amboy, California -- complete with a brand-spanking-new road that'll enable him to get his motor home and rocket gear to the site... "It'll be a vertical launch, me strapped into the rocket with 6,000 pounds of thrust, going up about three-eighths of a mile," he said, noting it's a prologue to a major launch this Fourth of July weekend. "It's the ultimate Wile E. Coyote move."

As with the scrubbed mission, this is in part an event which he hopes will get people to investigate the ideology which holds the earth is flat -- despite quite a bit of evidence to the contrary. He said it would've happened back in November if international publicity hadn't prompted government bureaucrats to "cover their asses" by pointing out that his launch site crept 150 feet into federal land. "I could've been arrested so at that point, I just went home and got back to work," he said... "But guess what? It's about to happen again... I should get more viewers than the Super Bowl," said Hughes, adding the launch will be aired on Noize TV [a video-on-demand service].

Noize TV has already posted video of a new interview with Hughes, touting his upcoming launch at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, the day before the Super Bowl (which Hughes calls "nothing but bullshit.")

Hughes says he's also filing to run for Governor of California.

10 of 219 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by Betty+Crocker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this what Slashdot has come to?

    This is like something that Q would teleport Picard off the bridge to watch just to WASTE HIS TIME.

    1. Re:Really? by Patent+Lover · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Seriously, can we stop covering this asshole?

    2. Re:Really? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Seriously, can we stop covering this asshole?

      Bite your tongue. I would definitely buy a pay-per-view to watch his launch. I might even donate to his Patreon if he promises to do it.

      What could be more quintessentially American than a guy strapping himself to a homemade rocket and launching himself off his motorhome in Amboy, California. God speed, you glorious bastard.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. He might just get his crowd. by sehlat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course, it will be like the stunt rider who was told that the crowd wasn't there to watch him jump thirteen buses. They were there to watch him jump twelve-and-a-half.

  3. Honestly by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nowadays when we’re at the point that even a casual investigation by a grade school student can locate definitive evidence that the earth is round... it takes a special breed of delusional imbecile to hold onto the belief that the earth is flat.

    Here’s to you, Mike Hughes!

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Honestly by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well duh. Round earth has been demonstrated by incontrovertible photographic evidence.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  4. "Crater", not "ratings" by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Flat Earther Plans New Rocket Launch, Predicts Super Bowl-Sized Crater

    FTFY.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  5. Flat earther by iTrawl · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who are you calling flat? He's not flat... yet!

    --
    "Everybody's naked underneath" -- The Doctor
  6. Get a Balloon, or a plane ticket by vix86 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He says he'll go up 3/8ths of a mile, that's just under 2,000ft. A commercial airline flight goes higher than that, as well as some cheap high altitude balloons. Of course the point of this isn't to prove anything except that this is a publicity stunt.

  7. First 2018 Live Darwin Awards! by Andrew+Lindh · · Score: 4, Funny

    This needs to be live viewing feed (for about 5 minutes) because it will only happen once and you want to make sure it's not censored by the crazy round planet people. He needs to get a circus monkey to push the launch button just to compliment the entertainment value. We'll get to see the first human firework that celebrates his own Darwin Award. Even if he survives, he won't see much at 2000 feet that you can't see from a skyscraper (Burj Khalifa is more than 1/2 a mile tall).