The 61-year old limo driver, “Mad” Mike Hughes from California, who also appears to be a self-taught rocket scientist, “aborted” his self-launching mission which was going to prove that the Earth is flat. He didn’t have the federal permits required to launch himself in that area, but there were also mechanical problems with his rocket which he built on his own. With that, Mr. Hughes will have to postpone the Saturday rocket launch for a few days yet.
Mr. Hughes made an announcement that was uploaded on the MGTV History YouTube channel.
“US Bureau of Land Management told me they would not allow me to do the event, at least not at that location,” he said. “It’s been very disappointing,” he added.
Hughes’ goal is to prove astronauts and scientists wrong about the real shape of the Earth. The “self-taught rocket scientist” wanted to launch himself in a rocket on Saturday, above the Mojave Desert. He planned to launch himself 1,800 feet high and would fly at a speed of 500 mph. Another future plan is to get 10 miles high, which would prove that the planet is disc-shaped.
The limo driver invested the last few years building the rocket out of salvaged parts in his garage, while the whole building process cost him $20,000. He also invested in Rust-Oleum paint to make the rocket look stunning, and a motor home which he bought on Craigslist was turned into a ramp. His main sponsor for the rocket he built was Research Flat Earth.
His idea was that the rocket would fly over the town of Amboy, which has a population of four people, and is located in the Mojave Desert near Route 66.
“I don’t believe in science,” Mr. Hughes told AP. “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.”
As the launch had to be postponed due to the above-mentioned issues, Hughes said that his Saturday rocket launch would be postponed until some time next week.