The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. Some prominent flat-earthers dont appear to have a regular job, so one must wonder how they make money. Get the HOTTEST Music, News & Videos Delivered Weekly. With time their family will shares his funeral information publically. An O-ring failed. And Ill always regret it. A rival steam-engine builder. Your email address will not be published. When the rocket cleared the rail, it shifted to the right, as if it had been hip-checked by an rogue air current. The death of "Mad" Mike Hughes has brought attention to the danger of promoting pseudoscience but Flat Earthers stand by their "mission". In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard. The risks seemed negligible. In 2002, he had already set a Guinness Word Record as he jumped about 103 foot in at Lincon Car stretch Limo. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Re: Death of Mike Hughes Reply #31 on: March 02, 2020, 12:57:32 PM Yes, publically he was a flat earth believer, however behind the scenes there is a lot of evidence to suggest he wasn't, and just slapped the sticker on because then he gets media attention. So Waldo invited Mike to live on property he owned on the southern edge of the Mojave in Apple ValleyWaldo had whimsically dubbed it El Ranchito Raketeand it was there that work commenced on a new-and-improved launch vehicle. https://www.instagram.com/thisisrocketman/?utm_source=ig_embed. The phenomenon threatens local drinking water, and scientists think climate change may be the culprit. Waldo walked back from the crash, looking grim. Mike's flight suit hung alongside a render of the space vehicle he and Waldo were planning to build. It was late afternoon, and the guys were thrashing to get Mike into the rocket before the last of the light faded. But, he had white and black hair color and black eye color. He was born in the United States. I really appreciate it, Mike told me about an hour before the crash. He was likable, funny, and surprisingly boyish for somebody who was nearly 64. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey, the TV network said in a statement. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. He successfully launched his rocket on 24 March 2018. I'm not much for authority or rules. He thought the lunar landing had been a hoax. It. Mike and Waldo were an odd couplea bantam rooster with a shock of gray-white hair and a solid redwood with tattooed biceps. Why the Search for Life in Space Starts With Ancient Earth. The parachute? Is the US Next? Afterward, he reportedly collapsed and needed several days to recover. But because I was there, ostensibly covering the event as news even though I knewlike nearly everybody else watching the launchthat it was a pointlessly stupid stunt. For me, the Research Flat Earth livery on the rocket was tangible proof that the project was nothing more than a circus sideshow, and I was relieved that Id stayed away. The more views that a site has, the more potential customers see the ads. It will be updated soon. Rain was in the forecast, but the morning dawned sunny and brisk. Fame and fortune? Video of the tragic accident, which took place in Barstow, California, was captured by reporter Justin Chapman. Once hed wriggled inside, Waldo secured the door behind him. And spreading pseudoscience., Those within the community itself, however (some of whom had watched the rocket launch on a livestream), appear unruffled, if not more confident in its mission than ever. A smattering of reporters and photographers. We usually watch his matches on our DVR, long after theyve been played. He postponed his launch due to mechanical troubles. Waldo heard that somebody was trying to reprise Knievels spectacularly unsuccessful 1974 jump across Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Question what really happened during the Civil War. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Gina Lollobrigida, film star who conquered Italy, Hollywood and the world, dies at 95, Storm sets new L.A. rain records. In the 1980s, Hughes worked as a fabricator and body specialist on cars for NASCAR drivers Randy Lajoie and Rob Moroso, and as a crew chief on a Craftsman Truck team in Washington, before moving to Las Vegas in 1994, according to a Las Vegas Sun column. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on their mission to prove that the Earth was flat, and shaped like a frisbee. To be sure, Mike was a conspiracy theorist par excellence. Assorted flat-Earthers and conspiracy theorists. Eventually, he successfully raised the $7,875 fund from the campaign. Get started Geni World Family Tree. Heres What Hes Doing Next. On September 28, 2002, he made into the Guinness Book of World Records after jumping 103 feet in a 6,500 ton Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine at Perris Auto Speedway. Very likely did not survive. The rocket appeared to rub against the launch apparatus, which might have torn the parachutes attached to it, according to Justin. Michael Hughes (February 9, 1956 February 22, 2020), popularly known as "Mad" Mike Hughes, was an American limousine driver, professed flat-Earther, and daredevil known for flying in self-built steam rockets. Some undoubtedly do it for pleasure. A former stuntman, Hughes had done two rocket launches prior to his death, one in 2014 and one in 2018, from which he emerged without major incident. The cartoon book includes 400 drawings covering the aviation industry. He built his first crewed rocket in January 2014. Its not clear if he was successful. He was 64. Yeah, for sure, absolutely it was. Later analysis of the wreckage would show that the launch apparatus Mike had put together caused the left side of the nozzle to rip free from the rocket when the water was released. Water stored in a vessel is heated to reach a predetermined pressure. Its not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease. Hughes defiantly stated that the dispute would not stop him from flying: "I'm a daredevil. Two armed but unopened parachutes were still attached to the rocket when it came down. He desperately wanted to be rich and famous and realized that his most marketable asset was his willingness to risk his life, so he risked it often. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. But Mike wanted to fly higher, faster, farther. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 1958, at age 5 at death place, Colorado. A heater core leaked. But, of course, his biggest delusion was that there was widespread interest in his antics. Question what your congressman is doing, your city council. He gained support within the flat-Earth community in 2016. I helped to kill him. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. However, a BLM spokesman said its local field office had no record of speaking to Hughes at the time. But, on the 24th of March 2018, he was successful in reaching the height of 1,875 feet and had a hard landing in the Mojave desert. [19][20] During launch, the rocket's parachute, which was designed for landing, appeared to deploy early and detach from the craft. Waldo speculates that the violence of the shift knocked Mike unconscious. The documentary has a happy ending, one that the filmmakers wish translated to real life. Email me with new blog posts by Danny Faulkner Blog: This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google He raised only $310. She currently lives in Inglewood. I dont want to take anyone elses word for it, he said after a March 2018 launch in the Mojave Desert in which he shot his homemade rocket over 1,800 feet into the sky, I dont know if the world is flat or round.. I had no attachment to him or his rocket launches. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey. Despite making a hard landing in the Mojave Desert, he sustained no serious injuries. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. He is known for other names like Mad Mike Hughes and Daredevil. The sun was unrelenting, with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees. Mounted nearly 15 degrees from vertical on a launch rail that resembled an industrial-grade erector set, the rocket looked like the kind of thing you might have doodled during an especially tedious junior-high earth science classa slender fuselage bracketed by a needle-shaped nose and four fins at the base. Not only that, he was a Guinness world record holder for jumping 103-foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. He raised thousands of dollars onGoFundMe to finance the construction of his rockets. It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. His journey was to be featured on Homemade Astronauts, a series on the Science Channel. He was treated for heat exhaustion. But he was impressed with the audacity of Mikes vision. Disoriented, Mike released the compressed-air-powered parachutes while he was still traveling too fast. Hughes death just reinforced my mantra meaning, what are you willing to do if you believe in something so much? Mark Sargent, a self-described Flat Earth recruiter who was featured in the 2018 Netflix documentary Behind the Curve, tells Rolling Stone. Like any daredevil, I think theyre driven by a sense of that need to do something incredible but also to risk their life, said Toby Brusseau, who directed Rocketman, a 2019 documentary about Hughes. Its not clear what went wrong. Hughes said afterward, Am I glad I did it? Waldo Stakes who was working on the same project as a colleague of Mad Mike also confirmed that It was Unsuccessful and he passed away However he further refused to made any statements of comments on this regard. As of 2020, Mikes net worth was estimated at $500 thousand. The rocket flew for 22 seconds after the last of the steam dissipated, but Mike never responded to radio communications. The launch was initially scheduled for last August but was moved several times due to technical difficulties. Robbie Kneivel, who spent his life in the family business of defying death, passed away on Friday after a fight with pancreatic cancer By Laurenz Busch - January 13, 2023 Robbie Knievel, who. In a press release shared by The Hollywood Reporter, Mike Hughes and Waldo Stakes are working on a manned rocket to space, designing what they call a rock-oon part rocket, part balloon that they hope to use to get Hughes to the Karman line, the border between Earths atmosphere and outer space, which is about 62 miles high. Friends and family. Apart from this, he gained lots of attention due to his theory and he was trying to prove that Earth is flat and aimed to reach at 62 miles into the air in order to clear Karman Line. The stunt landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest limousine ramp jump, beating a previous 75-foot jump Hughes made in Las Vegas. Daredevil Mad Mike Hughes perishedwhen his steam-engined rocket crashed, https://twitter.com/_/status/1231336002175717376. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. Something was always going wrong. He stated that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved him to launch his rocket and he is awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Hughes stated that the injuries suffered from the flight put him in a walker for two weeks. When I first heard of Hughes two years ago, I thought at the time that if he continued doing this, it would kill him. He lived in California. I knew that the previous three launches had only barely avoided catastrophe. They didnt, naturally. In contrast with a sober NASA launch vehicle, it sported a jaunty purple, orange, and white paint job and signage from sponsors, including a chain of Mexican chicken restaurants, an online dating app (Dating isnt rocket science), and companies offering crane, welding, and window-tinting services. It was getting him back alive. Hell, Im on Medicaid!. CHUTE! Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. Daredevil Flat Earther 'Mad Mike' Hughes Dies When Self-Made Rocket Crashes A trial using the gene-editing tool inside the body hints at treating, or even curing, a rare fatal diseaseand is changing a community in the process. I listened skeptically as Waldo sketched out the scenario in the wood-paneled living room of Mikes small, dark, sparsely furnished house, while four cats slinked shamelessly over the sofa and coffee table. Freelance journalist Justin Chapman is writing a book about Hughes, and was at the final launch in the desert outside Barstow, Calif. "There were about 50 spectators there," Chapman said. I believe the truth is worth taking risks for.. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight., A post shared by Rocketman. Mike, along with Waldo Strakes, built a homemade steam-powered rocket whose intention was to fly 5000 feet in the year. Try downloading another browser like Chrome or Firefox. Nobody could find the pylons for the guy wires supporting the launch rail. Chapmans unfortunate footage captures the first parachute disconnecting shortlyafter the rocket began its ascent and then freefalling. Mike's steam rocket on the launch rail in August 2019. [1][2] He died on February 22, 2020, while filming a stunt for an upcoming Science Channel television series. [8], At the time of his death, Hughes lived in Apple Valley, California. If those people promoting a flat earth for profit and dont believe the earth is flat had any decency, I would hope the death of Mike Hughes would cause them to stop. Even that was supposed to be merely the lead up to what Hughes spoke of as the ultimate launch, one that would take him 62 miles up, to a designation known as the Karman Line, which marks the border between Earths atmosphere and space. He soon acquired an interest in motorcycle racing. The duo Mike and Waldo Stakes was working on the self built steam powered rocket to reach at 5000 feet approx 1.5 km in the air while riding in it. Ive got balls, and I will roll the dice.. Mad Mike Hughes net worth: Mad Mike had an estimated net worth of around $650,000 before his death. Indeed, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. It seemed odd to many that Hughes believed the Earth was flight despite being a rocket engineer. World of Wonder Productionsthe television company behind RuPauls Drag Raceevidently reached a similar conclusion and signed Mike and Waldo to a Science Channel reality show tentatively titled Homemade Astronauts. Nobody gave a shit about this stunt. Last spring, Waldo called to tell me hed hatched a crazily ambitious plan: He wanted to send Mike into space. Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? On February 3, 2018, Hughes live-streamed another attempted launch, but the rocket steam release malfunctioned and the launch was aborted. When he paused, a woman asked in a small, breathless voice: Is he OK? No, Waldo said flatly. Released in August 2019, this 94-minute documentary, co-directed by Toby Brusseau and Michael Linn, starred Mike Hughes, Waldo Sykes, Patrick Marchese. As a part of a stunt, Mike was attached with a homemade rocket which was launched but quickly it was crashed. I also wondered if Hughes was serious about the earth being flat; assuming he was, I thought about the implications of his death when it came. He built his first manned rocket in 2014 a contraption he called the X-2 SkyLimo and managed to launch himself more than 1,300 feet over Winkelman, Ariz., he told the Associated Press. Famously known as Mad Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. The Science Channels decision to award coverage to someone known for espousing decidedly unscientific views not to mention allowing him to participate in a wildly dangerous experiment was widely lambasted on social media in the wake of the news of his death. And when it comes down to it, he deserves kudos for that.. Mad Mike Hughes working on his steam-powered rocket before a test launch in Amboy, California, in August 2019. He announced at that meeting that he was negotiating a deal with a TV network to cover his launch attempts. But the more Waldo talked, the more credible the project sounded. He self-made rockets, which he planned to fly into the outer space to prove flat-Earth conspiracy theories. But who cared if somebody whod christened himself Mad Mike went 2,000 or 4,000 feet high in a homemade rocket that was just as likely to kill him as it was to get off the launch pad? [16] The steam-powered rocket launched at a sharp angle to avoid falling back to Earth on public land, and landed about 1,500 feet (460m) away from the launch point. Never really paid attention to him, Flat Earther Ben Long tells Rolling Stone. Chute! Video of the tragic accident, which took place in Barstow, California, was captured by reporter Justin Chapman. Then somebody muttered, You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the crash, there was no official announcement. The mood was upbeat and anticipatory, not unlike the crowd assembled for a rock music festival, but without the weed. And luckily it didnt turn out that way for us that day.. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. Death Cause. [1] He said in November 2017 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had given him verbal permission more than a year prior to launch his rocket, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Incredibly, the team was still dicking around with technical issues when I drove up. Despite my misgivings, I was intrigued. , one that the violence of the light faded outer space to prove the. Mike ' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket which was but... You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the right, as if it had hip-checked! Would not stop him from flying: `` i 'm a daredevil along Waldo. The pylons for the guy wires supporting the launch rail thoughts & go. Flat, and shaped like a frisbee fly into the rocket before the last of the tragic,! 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