To minimize costs, Waldo had already rigged up a cockpit out of the wingtip tank from a Cold Warera Lockheed F-94 Starfighter, with air provided by a breathing bottle from a similar vintage Boeing B-50 Superfortress bomber. I was fascinated by his plan to repurpose space-age-era NASA and military-surplus components to bring the land speed record back to the US from the UK. He postponed his launch due to mechanical troubles. Privacy Policy and There was no stopping him, Linn said. Because it was people like me who imbued his quest with some larger meaning. In 2002, daredevil Mad Mike Hughes successfully jumped a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine 103 feet at the Perris Auto Speedway in Riverside County. Question what really happened during the Civil War. Not because I designed or built the rocket, and not because I belted him into the cockpit. But I knew how badly things could go wrong. 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. The crowd was bigger than I expectedfour or five dozen peopleand a lot more varied. He built his first crewed rocket in January 2014. Rain was in the forecast, but the morning dawned sunny and brisk. When Waldo scampered clear, I repositioned myself behind an EMS van for protection. At the time of his passing, Hughes was surrounded by 50 to 60 people watching his attempted rocket launch, including crew members for an upcoming Science Channel series calledHomemade Astronauts. He is known for other names like Mad Mike Hughes and Daredevil. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Social media platforms like YouTube have also been criticized for serving as a platform for those espousing Flat Earth views, a criticism that last year it addressed by tweaking its algorithm to prevent from recommending such content to users. There is a duty of care issue. In the end, he was too brave and tenacious for his own good. Have you noticed the many advertisements that pop up when you are surfing the internet? Ad Choices, DIY Rockets, Daredevils, and the Tragedy of Mad Mike Hughes. Mad Mike Hughes net worth: Mad Mike had an estimated net worth of around $650,000 before his death. https://www.instagram.com/thisisrocketman/?utm_source=ig_embed. More people will watch this than the supposed moon landing.. Even Sargent, a member of a community that raised money to support Hughes daredevil efforts, questioned the decision to make the documentary. 2023 Cond Nast. [3] Although a public promoter of the flat Earth model, following his death his public relations representative said that Hughes had only used flat Earth as a PR stunt to acquire funding for his rockets. Mike Hughes and his rocket at the 2018 Flat Earth International Conference I attended in Denver. Larry and I found them about 20 yards away, a shredded tangle of green-and-purple nylon. 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. [22] The launch event was being filmed for the Science Channel television series Homemade Astronauts, in which Hughes was to star. 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. 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. The National Library of Medicine describes Hughes' cause of death as a "rare congenital abnormality" that represents less than 3% of coronary anomalies. I know he didnt believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick. Mikes limousine parked at El Ranchito Rakete, Waldo Stakes property in Apple Valley, California. Why didnt we turn away? In the aftermath of Hughess death, many viewed it as the ultimate culmination of the dangers of pseudoscience, heavily criticizing the media, particularly the Science Channel, for giving oxygen to his views. 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. Friends and family. A generator wasnt making enough power. Ill officially say that.. In Vegas, Hughes became both limousine chauffeur and daredevil; he took to referring to himself as the worlds most famous limo driver.. But the more Waldo talked, the more credible the project sounded. He recovered after 3 days and put him in a walker for two weeks. According to PubMed.com, to visuall see the Earths curvature one must travel to an altitude of around 35,000 feet. Why would people promote such a lie? Hughes acknowledged there were risks, telling the Associated Press: "It's scary as hell. Yeah, for sure, absolutely it was. It is unknown to us exactly what he did to earn an income, but it was clearly earning something because he invested a lot into building his home made rockets trying to prove his false claims of flat earth. Something was always going wrong. 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. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. A heater core leaked. His journey was to be featured on Homemade Astronauts, a series on the Science Channel. 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? Question what your congressman is doing, your city council. While these august publications didnt make the point explicitly, the implication was clear: Here was another madman who got what he deserved. Rare Fugazi Live Footage Stitched Into New Movie to Screen One Night Only in Washington D.C. A$AP Rocky Wonders How to Break Violent Cycles in Hip-Hop on Tribute Single Same Problems', Adi Oasis Channels High Fashion and Euphoria in Video for Ovulation Anthem Multiply. Released in August 2019, this 94-minute documentary, co-directed by Toby Brusseau and Michael Linn, starred Mike Hughes, Waldo Sykes, Patrick Marchese. Then, on the 30th of January 2014, he was known for making the first manned rocket, which flew 1,374 feet within over one minute over Winkelman, Arizona. He later changed his schedule to 2 December 2017. [19][20] During launch, the rocket's parachute, which was designed for landing, appeared to deploy early and detach from the craft. His mission was to launch his vesselto a height of 35,000-feet in an attempt to confirm his theory that the earth is flat. [8], Hughes planned to again launch himself in a rocket on August 10, 2019,[17] but mechanical troubles postponed the launch. On February 3, 2018, Hughes live-streamed another attempted launch, but the rocket steam release malfunctioned and the launch was aborted. Did you find any mistake? The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Hughes reported no serious injury from the landing. [4] Im sure that many other flat-earthers will continue to revere Hughes as one of their own as they mourn his death. He reached a height of 1,875 feet. 'Mad' Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket crash in the desert in California. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Waldo walked back from the crash, looking grim. I knew Waldo and several other team members were unhappy with the design of the apparatus Mike had come up with to release the superheated water from the pressure vessel. With any luck, the water pressure in the boiler would reach 350 pounds per square inch by noon, and Mike would be able to fly immediately thereafter. He was known as Mad Mike Hughes. He appeared in the 2019 documentary "Rocketman - Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth". The phenomenon threatens local drinking water, and scientists think climate change may be the culprit. Without an audience, he was just a lone lunatic shouting incoherently in a barren desert. I felt the hollow ache of nervous anticipation as Mike strapped on his helmet and climbed the stairs to the cockpit. People ask me why I do stuff like this, he said. Before joining the newsroom in 2016, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. Because Mike never reached the point of climbing into the rocket, I never had to confront the disturbing possibility that he might blow himself up or be pulverized in a crash landing. No more delays. Then somebody muttered, You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the crash, there was no official announcement. 'Mad' Mike Hughes' fatal rocket crash caught on video By Daniel Cassady February 23, 2020 4:05pm Updated Video posted online shows the exact moment "Mad" Mike Hughes' homemade rocket came. He must have realized that the launch was a fools play, pulling to an inside straight, but it was the only play he had. But as it gathered speed, the rocket transitioned to vertical, flying straight up on a white plume. I'm not much for authority or rules. If hed succeeded, the flight would have been a scene in my story and a segment in the reality-TV show. A self-taught engineer, Hughes was also a staunch flat-earther. Period.) And in this sense, he was successful: though he says there were some background conversations within the community regarding the question of whether Hughes could crash, all in all Sargent considered the campaign the best $8,000 we ever spent, due to the enormous amount of media attention it garnered for the Flat Earth cause. 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. Head coach Joe Schmidt and the entire Lions team attended Hughes' funeral in San Antonio. Mikes first launch, from a remote site near Winkelman, Arizona, in 2014, should have been his last. He launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket in 2016. Another blast is on the way. He shared a video on Twitter and said Mad Mike Hughes just launched himself in a self-made steam-powered rocket and crash landed. Yet Hughes became one of the faces of the Flat Earth cause regardless, garnering widespread media attention and appearing in a segment on the Comedy Central showTosh.0. Chute! Hughes famously launched himself nearly 1,900 feet upward in a homemade steam-powered rocket early in 2018. Help us share the truth of Gods Word and the gospel! Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. His post-flat-Earth fundraising campaign made its $7,875 goal. I think the mainstream media gave him way more attention than he deserved. The root of this objection, however, had less to do with safety and more to do with community members questioning the purity of his motives, the seriousness of his project he never contributed anything evidential, as far as Im aware, says Long or his alignment with the Flat Earth cause. The next year, he tried for a new record of 125 feet, covering his body in bubble wrap and gunning his 3-ton white Cadillac limousine up a ramp at 65 mph at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. Ive heard that some make six figures promoting a flat earth. We usually watch his matches on our DVR, long after theyve been played. However, he holds the American nationality and white ethnical background. [18], On February 22, 2020, Hughes died near Barstow, California, following the crash of a rocket he was piloting, built by Hughes and his collaborator Waldo Stakes. Video of the tragic accident, which took place in Barstow, California, was captured by reporter Justin Chapman. He flipped over before reaching a cushion of tires but was unhurt. Sure enough, I approached WIRED and got a green light. On Saturday, February 22, Mike Hughes, aka "Mad" Mike Hughes, died in the crash of his homemade rocket. Indeed, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. Hughes was a member of the Flat Earth community, a subculture consisting of people who (despite all scientific evidence pointing squarely to the contrary) believe that the Earth is not round, but flat. 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. This is particularly true of those in the flat-earth movement who arent serious about the earth being flat. The launch was initially scheduled for last August but was moved several times due to technical difficulties. She currently lives in Inglewood. I would think if you were gonna do a TV show like that youd look at the engineering of the thing and at least give him some engineering advice.. But the crews lack of urgency told a different story. Chute! I love that ending, where he was able to be successful, Brusseau said. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. Video posted online shows the exact moment Mad Mike Hughes homemade rocket came crashing down to Earth after a failed launch attempt, killing the self-styled daredevil. 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. Death Cause. Mike wanted to build the rocket himself, he said. He planned to launch himself in a rocket in August 2019. Fame and fortune? Similarly, those who promote the flat-earth movement (primarily on the internet), particularly such stunts, bear some responsibility for Hughes death. Mike is also known for Amateur manned rocketry Flat-Earther. A now-viral video shared on Twitter by journalist Justin Chapmanshowed the daredevils fatal mishap, but the details of what exactly went wrong were obscure until now. That did surprise me, he said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry, successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? Instead, I followed longtime crew member Larry Hayes, who was prowling around behind the launch rail. On February 22,Daredevil Mad Mike Hughes perishedwhen his steam-engined rocket crashed in the Barstow, California desert. Flat Earth-assisted crowdfunding campaigns. He wanted to do something original, and he came up with the idea of jumping a limo, Brusseau said. So it was possible to indulge in some magical thinking and imagine that maybe, against all odds, Mike might be able to emerge from the cockpit reasonably unscathed. 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. Mike Hughes started to gain the limelight after setting a Guinness world record holder for jumping 103-foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. Videos of the launch show that his parachute opened and detached from the rocket almost instantly, dooming Hughes to a high-velocity impact on the desert floor shortly after that. My girlfriend is a fanatical Roger Federer fan who dies a little every time he loses a point. He Jiankui discusses his plans for finding cures for devastating genetic diseases. With time their family will shares his funeral information publically. The mood was upbeat and anticipatory, not unlike the crowd assembled for a rock music festival, but without the weed. The rocket flew sideways instead of straight up. He had previously scheduled his launch for 25 November 2017. The project sounded insanely sketchy. Im also concerned that impressionable people might see the attention that Hughes sought in life and is now getting and might be induced to try similar dangerous things. 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. 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. The rocket came down about a mile away, near some hills to the north. Mike Hudges was an American limo driver and daredevil. On Saturday, 64-year-old Mad Mike Hughes was killed when a rocket he was attached to crashed in the desert in San Bernardino County, California. A rival steam-engine builder. A launch date was set for late February. There has never been another death on the field. The idea was to carry Mike roughly 20 miles aloft in a gargantuan helium balloon before igniting the rocketa Cold War-era launch system known as a rockoon. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey". He, in turn, was fascinated by daredevils, from Evel Knievel to Annie Edson Taylor, the retired schoolteacher who plunged down Niagara Falls inside a barrel in 1901. Hughes stated that the injuries suffered from the flight put him in a walker for two weeks. And luckily it didnt turn out that way for us that day.. There have been other terrible injuries. I didnt care about the steam rocket per se, since it had nothing to do with the space project. 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. This was ideal for WoW, which needed some action to film. And they planned to do it with a spacecraft built at El Ranchito Rakete. Death of rocket man 'Mad Mike' Hughes ends years of close calls "Mad Mike" Hughes died Saturday at age 64. Although some of the steam went through the nozzle, much of it escaped to the left, propelling the rocket to the right as it came off the launch rail. The sun was unrelenting, with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees. Despite my misgivings, I was intrigued. He authored the cartoon book, Whoops Airlines. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. How to Save Your Smartphones Battery Life. 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. Following the sudden announcement that the forecaster had died on Wednesday night's episode of the Discovery. That launch seemed to go flawlessly, as the parachute remained intact and slowed his descent. On the 3rd of February 2018, Mike began his live-stream, where his rocket steam release malfunction leading the launch aborted. On Saturday, he was working on to launch a self made rocket for a new science series called Homemade Astronauts and he was going to be featured on TV show on Discoverys Science Channel. [11][12] There was no video of Hughes entering the rocket and there were doubts that he was in it when it launched. 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. I could run for president. It was late afternoon, and the guys were thrashing to get Mike into the rocket before the last of the light faded. DAREDEVIL 'Mad' Mike Hughes has died after launching himself in the air with a self-made rocket and crash landing into the ground. Heres What Hes Doing Next. No, I didnt kill Mike, but I was part of the ecosystem that exploited him, and thats on me. And basically, its just to convince people they can do things extraordinary with their lives, and maybe it pushes people to do things they normally wouldnt do with their life that maybe will inspire someone else.. (Apparently, theyd been stolen by local meth heads.). 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. As of 2020, Mikes net worth was estimated at $500 thousand. The Crispr Baby Scientist Is Back. Id met Mike before, but this was my first extended conversation with him. Hughes' team reported a maximum speed of 350mph (560km/h). He was born in the United States. Hughes 2002 feat in Perris, California still holds the world record for longest limousine ramp jump, according to the Guinness World Records website. It will be updated soon. Mike's rocket on the truck bed used for transport. You can also sign up for our free print newsletter (US only). Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. He announced at that meeting that he was negotiating a deal with a TV network to cover his launch attempts. [5][6][7] He stated during an interview with the Associated Press in 2018 that he had planned to run for Governor of California. And what was the point? The Science Channel show, Homemade Astronauts, documented three self-financed teams as they attempt to get a rocket into space on a shoestring budget. Its not clear how strongly he held the conviction, or if he really believed it at all. Fifty-fifty! In 2002, he had already set a Guinness Word Record as he jumped about 103 foot in at Lincon Car stretch Limo. Mike would have been just as dead if hed been killed trying to fly to space. Success! So instead of floating gently to the ground, he crash-landed after a wild 11-second flight. Since then, Ive read long, dry obituaries in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. [11] Hughes moved his launch pad 4 miles (6km) so that he could take off and land on private property, but the BLM maintained he still needed to fill out permits. This was it. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey. They did not respond to a follow-up question regarding the ethics of chronicling said journey, given the major risks involved and the unscientific nature of Flat Earth conspiracy theories. [23], Following Hughes' death, Darren Shuster, his public relations representative, stated: "We used flat Earth as a PR stunt Flat Earth allowed us to get so much publicity that we kept going! Videos of the launch show that his parachute opened and detached from the rocket almost instantly, dooming Hughes to a high-velocity impact on the desert floor shortly after that. 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. After years of close calls, the 64-year-old Hughes met his end Saturday when he was killed during the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry outside Barstow. Certainly Hughes was a daredevil who knew the risks of these rocket launches, and regardless of his incentives, tragically paid the ultimate price for his celebrity. I knew that sending Mike into space would be far more dangerous than launching the steam rocket. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. The rocket launched at a sharp angle to avoid falling back to Earth on public land. What people need to realize is this is going to be the most-watched event in the history of mankind. You could argue that Mike knew what he was getting into, and hed signed the liability waivers to prove it. "[5] A fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the delay raised around $100 of its $10,000 goal. You had to shout to be heard over the low-pitched thrum of the generator heating water in the boiler. Were going to have to bury him, Waldo said. Try downloading another browser like Chrome or Firefox. He had intentions to built multiple rockets that fly into the outer space and take pictures of the entire Earth as a flat disc. The more outlandish and provocative the content, the more interest, and hence more views. To be sure, Mike was a conspiracy theorist par excellence. They didnt, naturally. Then, he planned to launch the rocket on the 10th of August 2019, which was postponed. I believe the truth is worth taking risks for.. There were concerns about potentially boosting the profile of a flat-Eartheror gratuitously ridiculing onebut we agreed that deft writing and editing could skirt those issues. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Mad Mike died at the age of 64. He was a lonely guy, Linn said. Mad Mike Hughes just launched himself in a self-made steam-powered rocket and crash landed. Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. In 2012, I wrote a story about the car he was building in an effort to break the sound barrier. (@thisisrocketman). He died following his rocket crash-landing in the open desert in California on 22 February 2020. I took Mike aside and told him, Dont get in that rocket unless you feel comfortable. As it happened, the rocket wasnt ready to fly in time. Mike's steam rocket on the launch rail in August 2019. CHUTE! Even if a company unknowingly manufactures faulty products that result in grave injury or death, they hold some responsibility. A US daredevil pilot has been killed during an attempted launch of a homemade rocket in the Californian desert. You're almost done! Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? [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. I didnt see it. Daredevil Flat Earther 'Mad Mike' Hughes Dies When Self-Made Rocket Crashes The death of "Mad" Mike Hughes has brought attention to the danger of promoting pseudoscience but Flat Earthers stand by their "mission". Mad Mike Hughes Cause of Death: As a part of a stunt, Mike was attached with a homemade rocket which was launched but quickly it was crashed. Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, how likely another world is to host life? 2018 poll found that two percent of more than 10,000 respondents, watched the rocket launch on a livestream, Brian Walshe to Be Charged with Murder of His Missing Wife, Ron Jeremy Found Not Competent to Stand Trial in Serial Rape Case, The Genetic Mutation That Makes Kraken Covid So Contagious, The Boy Just Aint Smart': How Stephen A. Smith Overcame a Learning Disability to Become the Most Passionate Voice in Sports, Andrew Callaghan Apologizes: I've Always Taken No for an Answer as Far as Consent, Fall Out Boy Announce First Album in 5 Years, Share Love From The Other Side Video. A representative of Mad Mike has explained what went wrong during the daredevils fatal rocket launch last month. Finally, Waldo and several of Mikes friends began walking toward the wreckage. Hughes died in a rocket crash on February 22, 2020. Coronavirus Is Spreading And So Are the Hoaxes and Conspiracy Theories Around It.

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