Flat-Earther Mike Hughes finally blasted himself into the Californian sky after two previous attempts to launch himself in a self-made rocket and prove to humanity that the Earth is flat, particularly a disc-shaped object, and that we have been fooled for centuries.
According to the Associated Press, the self-taught rocket scientist successfully blasted off in the Mojave Desert on Saturday, managing to blast himself around 1,875 feet into the sky successfully. The rocket was powered by steam and was made by flat-Earther Mike Hughes, a 61-years old limo driver and stuntman. Given that he built the rocket on his own, it’s not surprising that he knows some things about rocket science as well. It’s worth noting that the he didn’t crash or was injured, or died in the process, so overall, in that way, the launch was a success.
Hughes had already planned two launches before blasting off yesterday. However, he failed launching his rocket with “RESEARCH FLAT EARTH” text embedded on the side of the rocket. He first failed because of problems with the government and after that because of technical problems with his rocket. However, on Saturday March 24, it was a success.
AP freelancer Matt Hartman posted a video of the launch, capturing footage of the rocket and uploaded it to his YouTube channel.
As mentioned above, his first launch was cancelled because of problems with the government. The Bureau of Land Management said no to his first launch, because the flight path of his self-made rocket would trespass on public land. The flat-Earther didn’t give up on his goal to prove that the Earth is flat and he made modifications to his rocket and platform, to use a vertical launch.
According to the AP, Hughes’ helper Waldo Stakes said that they were able to set the rocket to 340 psi, which is less than the 350 psi that they had initially planned. They decided to go ahead with the launch, as Hughes didn’t want to be disappointed with another failed attempt. Stakes estimated that the speed of the rocket was around 350 mph. He deployed two parachutes to land.
Hughes, on the other hand, expressed relief that the rocket launch was over, and also pointed out that he has an aching back problem.
“I’m tired of people saying I chickened out and didn’t build a rocket,” he said. “I’m tired of that stuff. I manned up and did it … this thing wants to kill you 10 different ways. This thing will kill you in a heartbeat.”
“Am I glad I did it?” Hughes said. “Yeah. I guess. I’ll feel it in the morning. I won’t be able to get out of bed. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight.”
The rocket didn’t reach high enough for flat-Earther Mike Hughes to actually see Earth’s curvature, he would need to get up to around 35,000 feet for that. But, given that Hughes’ launch was successful maybe he will embark on a more challenging adventure and reach it?
