WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. "[13], The untested initial rocket was intended to reach a speed of 500mph (800km/h); further rocket trips, which were to be launched from a balloon 20 miles (32km) up,[14] were intended to reach above the atmosphere into outer space. Sometimes, I feel like the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, when he suddenly runs off a cliff, Hughes told The Times ahead of the jump. But I also wanted to keep my distance emotionally, as if that would inoculate me from blame if everything went south. The US is more alert to the risks of strep infections, but the UK has better data. He built his first crewed rocket in January 2014. There was part of me that wished he would find a hobby that was fun for him but had less of a chance of dying, maybe training his cats or something, but that wouldnt have done it for him.. 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. 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. Daredevil, Is Killed in Rocket Crash", "NEWS: 'Flat Earth' Daredevil Dies in Homemade Rocket Stunt", "Death Valley Girls Share Video for "(One Less Thing) Before I Die", "Death Valley Girls - "(One Less Thing) Before I Die" Video", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Hughes_(daredevil)&oldid=1134002496, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 14:50. Hughes, who believed the Earth is flat, had previously said his goal was to fly to the edge of outer space and see for himself if the world is round. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. Mikes first launch, from a remote site near Winkelman, Arizona, in 2014, should have been his last. The UK Is Enduring an Onslaught of Scarlet Fever. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. 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. Get started Geni World Family Tree. 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. However, Hughes seemed to love his day job and proudly turned his limo into a vehicle that could be mistaken for a Batmobile. Hughes 2002 feat in Perris, California still holds the world record for longest limousine ramp jump, according to the Guinness World Records website. I passed by the display of his rocket several times, hoping to speak to him, but he was always busy talking to other people, so I never got the chance. "Storm Chasers" stars Matt Hughes has died at the age of 30 after committing suicide. Chapmans unfortunate footage captures the first parachute disconnecting shortlyafter the rocket began its ascent and then freefalling. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. The canopies shredded. The calculations to launch a payload into space, whether a satellite or a human being, have been well understood ever since 1944, when a Nazi V-2 designed by Wernher von Braun first left Earths atmosphere. Following the sudden announcement that the forecaster had died on Wednesday night's episode of the Discovery. A tire blew out. 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. Nobody could find the pylons for the guy wires supporting the launch rail. 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. The rocket launch was originally scheduled for the weekend of November 25, 2017; Hughes then rescheduled for December 2, 2017, blaming ongoing difficulties in obtaining permissions. Waldo cajoled me into writing a brief, lighthearted story about the episode. Mike Hughes, a go-it-alone daredevil, limousine stunt driver and self-taught astronaut who professed to believe that the Earth was flat and who was known to supporters as Mad Mike, died in a . A US daredevil pilot has been killed during an attempted launch of a homemade rocket in the Californian desert. 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. Despite the utter lack of evidence surrounding the Flat Earth theory and intense criticism from scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Flat Earth theory has gained traction in recent years (one 2018 poll found that two percent of more than 10,000 respondents harbored such views), and has been promoted by such high-profile figures as Kyrie Irving and musician B.o.B. 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. Mike's rocket on the truck bed used for transport. I love that ending, where he was able to be successful, Brusseau said. MIKE, THROW THE GODDAMNED CHUTE!. Waldo speculates that the violence of the shift knocked Mike unconscious. In response to a request for comment, a representative for the Science Channel said, Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. We want to hear it. Mike even stated that he was in a walker for two weeks from the injuries. Back at El Ranchito Rakete, there were arguments over Mikes redesign of the launch system. This is particularly true of those in the flat-earth movement who arent serious about the earth being flat. He self-made rockets, which he planned to fly into the outer space to prove flat-Earth conspiracy theories. After he shared his belief of a flat earth, he gained support from the Flat-Earth community. Instead, I followed longtime crew member Larry Hayes, who was prowling around behind the launch rail. Everybody lingered near the launch pad in a surreal state of shock and confusion. There have been other terrible injuries. The launch, which took place Saturday and was meant for a new Science Channel series called Homemade Astronauts, was supposed to have rocketed Hughes up to 5,000 feet in the air, the TV network said. Mike and Waldo were an odd couplea bantam rooster with a shock of gray-white hair and a solid redwood with tattooed biceps. More people will watch this than the supposed moon landing.. (single, married, in relation or divorce). During his failed rocket launch in March 2018, the $20K rocket was named Research Flat Earth, and was crowdfunded by a group of the same name. For a sickening moment, I thought it might angle disastrously sideways, like a ballistic missile. Mad Mike died at the age of 64. After three weekends of failure, Mike and Waldo put the project on hiatus. Still, others are motivated by money. Mike Hughes was born in Barstow, California, in 1955. "[24][4][25][26], Hughes appeared in the music video for the Death Valley Girls' song "One Less Thing (Before I Die)". Science Channel gave this a platform, read one tweet. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. Similarly, those who promote the flat-earth movement (primarily on the internet), particularly such stunts, bear some responsibility for Hughes death. 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.. Before his death, Mike had lived a married man. I figured that would be the end of it. The crowd was bigger than I expectedfour or five dozen peopleand a lot more varied. (Apparently, theyd been stolen by local meth heads.). 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. He appeared in the 2019 documentary "Rocketman - Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth". But for me, at least, that would have freighted his death with more meaning than dying while freestyling into a crevasse or big-wave surfing. But if it had been, Mike would have ignored my advice. I spent four days over two weekends in Amboy. [15], A successful launch on March 24, 2018, resulted in his reaching a height of 1,875 feet (572m) and a hard landing in the Mojave Desert. In 2002, he had already set a Guinness Word Record as he jumped about 103 foot in at Lincon Car stretch Limo. Some prominent flat-earthers dont appear to have a regular job, so one must wonder how they make money. Roys Motel & Caf, the only retail establishment in Amboy (population: 4) on famous Route 66. A freelance journalist named Justin Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash. Chute. Instead of Amboy, it would take place in a less remote spotwith cell phone service, hallelujah!eight miles south of Barstow. His launch was reportedly filmed as part of Homemade Astronauts, a new TV series about amateur rocket makers. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Before joining the newsroom in 2016, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. This was it. Mad Mike Hughes died on February 22 when the parachutes on his homemade steam rocket failed to deploy and he augured into the sagebrush near Barstow, California, like a giant lawn dart plummeting at more than 300 miles per hour. [9][2][10], According to the Associated Press, Hughes built his first crewed rocket on January 30, 2014, and flew 1,374 feet (419m) in just over one minute over Winkelman, Arizona. 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. Question what your congressman is doing, your city council. He said that my suggestion was tantamount to auto manufacturers being responsible for car accidents. I didnt see it. You can also sign up for our free print newsletter (US only). I didnt care about the steam rocket per se, since it had nothing to do with the space project. 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. In 1974, he turned pro, and in 1979, he became the top Ice Speedway motorcycle racer in the U.S., the biography says. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Hughes claimed to have achieved nearly 1,400 feet altitude in a similar craft in 2014, though there are some doubts about that flight. 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. A group of spectators gathered around him. Sure enough, I approached WIRED and got a green light. But the ballute alone would cost $300,000, and $2.8 million was budgeted for top-shelf engineering and meteorological support. Hughes was always planning his next stunt, with each one taking him higher than the last. It was getting him back alive. A representative of Mad Mike has explained what went wrong during the daredevils fatal rocket launch last month. He was also a flat-Earth conspiracy theorist known for flying self-built rockets. Have you noticed the many advertisements that pop up when you are surfing the internet? No more delays. After five seconds, the plume disappeared as the last of the steam escaped through the nozzle. Released in August 2019, this 94-minute documentary, co-directed by Toby Brusseau and Michael Linn, starred Mike Hughes, Waldo Sykes, Patrick Marchese. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office said, rocket crash off highway 247 in Barstow, California, on Saturday afternoon. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. He was likable, funny, and surprisingly boyish for somebody who was nearly 64. Thats why me and Waldo didnt get too involved in helping him build it.. 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. A bolt was missing. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. 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. Help us to update this page. Flat Earth-assisted crowdfunding campaigns. I think that Samuel Rowbotham, who launched the flat-earth movement in the 19th century, fell into this category. Not only that, he was a Guinness world record holder for jumping 103-foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. 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. 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. On February 22,Daredevil Mad Mike Hughes perishedwhen his steam-engined rocket crashed in the Barstow, California desert. But as it gathered speed, the rocket transitioned to vertical, flying straight up on a white plume. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The rocket flew sideways instead of straight up. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. There was no stopping him, Linn said. 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. I'm not much for authority or rules. We couldnt see clearly how it had landed. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on . As of 2020, Mikes net worth was estimated at $500 thousand. He authored the cartoon book, Whoops Airlines. Water stored in a vessel is heated to reach a predetermined pressure. [19][20] During launch, the rocket's parachute, which was designed for landing, appeared to deploy early and detach from the craft. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey". It featured the homemade rocket engineers on their mission to prove that the Earth was flat, and shaped like a frisbee. When I raised this on a flat-earth discussion group after Hughes death, one flat-earther objected strenuously. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. Another blast is on the way. Trying to set a land speed record or breaking the sound barrier struck me as goals worth aspiring to. Its not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease. I felt the hollow ache of nervous anticipation as Mike strapped on his helmet and climbed the stairs to the cockpit. Yet, even though were thousands of miles away, and even though most of the matches are several days old, she cant resist giving Federer advice in mid-point. Waldo (left) and Mike confer at the launch in Amboy. That might be because no such category had existed until he contacted the record-keepers to ask if they would be interested. Well, of course he got killed. 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. Hughes' death was confirmed by Waldo Stakes, a longtime collaborator of the stunt man, and a representative of The Science Channel which is part of Discovery and had been following Hughes' rocket mission for their new show Homemade Astronauts. 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. But I didnt say anything, just as Id never said anything about the lack of an automatic parachute-deployment system, which seemed like a no-brainer. However, he hadnt shared any further information regarding his marriage and who is his wife. As a part of a stunt, Mike was attached with a homemade rocket which was launched but quickly it was crashed. It was late afternoon, and the guys were thrashing to get Mike into the rocket before the last of the light faded. I knew that sending Mike into space would be far more dangerous than launching the steam rocket. michael hughes 1887 1957 michael hughes, Circa 1887 - 1957 . This time around, Mike had generated buzz by claiming that he believed the Earth was flat, and he raised money by spinning the flight as an experiment to prove it. Regardless of what happened, he still built a rocket and he launched a rocket. I remember speaking up only once. Dramatic video footage of the botched stunt posted on social media appears to indicate that there was a problem with his parachute. An O-ring failed. The plan was to start heating the boiler shortly after dawn Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes family and friends during this difficult time, a spokeswoman for the network said in a statement. That launch seemed to go flawlessly, as the parachute remained intact and slowed his descent. Mike Hughes taking a break in August 2019 while prepping his rocket for a launch in the Mojave Desert. In Vegas, Hughes became both limousine chauffeur and daredevil; he took to referring to himself as the worlds most famous limo driver.. Please refresh the page and try again. 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. The Crispr Baby Scientist Is Back. His mission was to launch his vessel to a height of 35,000-feet in . We've received your submission. And we in the media enabled him. 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. Even if a company unknowingly manufactures faulty products that result in grave injury or death, they hold some responsibility. Hell, Im on Medicaid!. 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. "There were a couple of live streamers, like . 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. 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. 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. [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. Waldo heard that somebody was trying to reprise Knievels spectacularly unsuccessful 1974 jump across Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. When he paused, a woman asked in a small, breathless voice: Is he OK? No, Waldo said flatly. Filming fo the Science Channel series, Homemade Astronauts, with the help of his partner Waldo Sykes, Hughess goal was to reach 5,000 feet in the air while riding his steam-powered rocket, according to Space.com. The parachute? In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard. Yeah, for sure, absolutely it was. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey. For me, Flat Earth is bigger than my friends and family and even my own life. The cartoon book includes 400 drawings covering the aviation industry. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight., A post shared by Rocketman. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 2008, at age 75 at death place, Florida. 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. To my surprise, this launch seemed to unfold in slow motion. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. He thought the lunar landing had been a hoax. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. In numerous interviews, he had stated that the goal of his rocket launches was to prove that the planet was not spherical (as, again, all scientific evidence indicates), but Frisbee-shaped.. [9] [10] Hughes was buried in San Antonio , Texas , and all 40 of his Lions teammates attended his funeral, including head coach Joe Schmidt . And they planned to do it with a spacecraft built at El Ranchito Rakete. He was quite the celebrity among that flat-earthers at that meeting. There is nothing in the world I could have done to prevent Mike from riding a steam rocket to his death, but I didnt have to be there when it happened. This was in Amboy. He was treated for heat exhaustion. 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? The homebrew rocket maker had dreams of fame and fortune. Mike Hughes and his rocket at the 2018 Flat Earth International Conference I attended in Denver. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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While that landing was hard, Hughes said that he received no serious injuries. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time 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. Lunar landing had been, Mike was attached with a shock of gray-white hair and a solid redwood tattooed... Further information regarding his marriage and who is his wife witnessed this.. Sideways, like of thinking, new connections, and surprisingly boyish for somebody was... 2019 documentary `` Rocketman - Mad Mike Hughes taking a break in August 2019 while prepping his rocket a! Gathered speed, the rocket wasnt ready to fly into the outer space to prove the flat-earth movement who serious! 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