Please refresh the page and try again. I headed to Barstow first thing Saturday morning feeling a sense of dread. Since then, Ive read long, dry obituaries in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Unprompted, Waldo offered a technical appraisal of what had gone wrong. I could run for president. This, it turned out, was Mike Hughes, who billed himself as the worlds most famous limo driver by virtue of having set a world record for the longest jump in a Lincoln Town Car with the flying qualities of a cinderblock. 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. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. According to PubMed.com, to visuall see the Earths curvature one must travel to an altitude of around 35,000 feet. Fame and fortune? But none of us are getting out of this world alive. An O-ring failed. 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. 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. Eventually, he successfully raised the $7,875 fund from the campaign. The day before the scheduled launch, I received a text from Waldo with a photo of the rocket already mounted on the launch rail. Success! 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. He had a lot of time to surf YouTube and he went down the YouTube rabbit hole and developed some weird beliefs., In 2018, Hughes successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air and landed in the Mojave Desert near Amboy, Calif., a feat captured on camera for Rocketman., When we were filming it, we were thinking to ourselves, Wow, this is dangerous, Brusseau said. He was likable, funny, and surprisingly boyish for somebody who was nearly 64. His launch was reportedly filmed as part of Homemade Astronauts, a new TV series about amateur rocket makers. His journey was to be featured on Homemade Astronauts, a series on the Science Channel. He seemed to be speaking to himself as much as me. But I knew a cant-miss story when I saw one. Waldo speculates that the violence of the shift knocked Mike unconscious. But I knew how badly things could go wrong. Others have claimed that Hughes was whisked away by authorities to learn from him, and so his death was staged as a cover for Hughes disappearance. He was an American limo driver and daredevil who gained the limelight for flying in self-built rockets. Mike was born in the Hughes family and possessed a white ethnical background. Friends and family. Regardless of what happened, he still built a rocket and he launched a rocket. The cartoon book includes 400 drawings covering the aviation industry. Thats reasonable, Mike said. Hughes stated that the injuries suffered from the flight put him in a walker for two weeks. Did you find any mistake? A crew member was hurt so badly that part of his leg was later amputated. He built his first crewed rocket in January 2014. Waldo Stakes at the August 2019 launch in Amboy, California. On social media, many outside the community poked fun at Hughes death, referring to him as a Darwin Award nominee and joking that his death was in itself proof of the effect of gravity. 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. Im sure that many other flat-earthers will continue to revere Hughes as one of their own as they mourn his death. Chute. But Mike wanted to fly higher, faster, farther. https://www.instagram.com/thisisrocketman/?utm_source=ig_embed. In 2017, Mike and Waldo trucked a new rocket deep into the Mojave Desert to a barren stretch of land near the tiny Route 66 outpost of Amboy. A generator wasnt making enough power. 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. 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. Head coach Joe Schmidt and the entire Lions team attended Hughes' funeral in San Antonio. 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. His publicist, Darren Shuster, said Saturday that the flat Earth thing was a PR stunt we dreamed up to get publicity and attract sponsors for the rockets that the self-taught engineer made in his garage at his home in Apple Valley, Calif. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. And we in the media enabled him. Effectively, he was duped by FET (theory and theorists) into recklessly risking his life. I put my trust in Waldos assessment of Mike: Hes got a lucky star. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office said, rocket crash off highway 247 in Barstow, California, on Saturday afternoon. Over the next couple years, Hughes began saying in interviews that he believed the earth was flat Frisbee-shaped, and that he wanted to go up into space to make sure. A rival steam-engine builder. Science Channel gave this a platform, read one tweet. Its not clear if he was successful. 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. At least I enabled him. Mike, along with Waldo Strakes, built a homemade steam-powered rocket whose intention was to fly 5000 feet in the year. Mikes height and weight hadnt been disclosed publically. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. 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. The series, produced by World of Wonder, was set to premiere some time in 2020. 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. With time their family will shares his funeral information publically. Just a slender projectile hurtling silently to the ground. However, his landing led him three days to recover. And Ill always regret it. 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. Likewise Mike Hughes' tragic death. Then somebody muttered, You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the crash, there was no official announcement. Mike preparing for the August 2018 launch attempt. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. So instead of floating gently to the ground, he crash-landed after a wild 11-second flight. Its not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease. Create a free family tree for yourself or for Michael Hughes and we'll search for valuable new information for you. Still, others are motivated by money. I'm not much for authority or rules. Hughes 2002 feat in Perris, California still holds the world record for longest limousine ramp jump, according to the Guinness World Records website. It was weeks before he was able to walk without aid. Disoriented, Mike released the compressed-air-powered parachutes while he was still traveling too fast. Mikes ground control crew radioed him to deploy one of the two backup parachutes installed on the rocket, but Mike never responded. All Rights reserved. Heres what happens on the longest night of the yearin the solar system and across different cultures here on Earth. Others were more somber, stating that his passing was proof of the dangers of believing wholeheartedly in dangerous anti-scientific beliefs. Help us to update this page. It will be updated soon. I think were looking at 50-50, Waldo said blithely. Its easy to ridicule the Mike Hugheses of the world, have-nothings who gamble their lives on a lottery offering only a microscopic chance of success. The sun was unrelenting, with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees. The project sounded insanely sketchy. He planned to launch himself in a rocket in August 2019. Never really paid attention to him, Flat Earther Ben Long tells Rolling Stone. He was quite the celebrity among that flat-earthers at that meeting. Despite making a hard landing in the Mojave Desert, he sustained no serious injuries. People ask me why I do stuff like this, he said. It was getting him back alive. He postponed his launch due to mechanical troubles. A self-taught engineer tinged with genius, Waldo had designed motorcycles that set speed records at Utahs Bonneville Salt Flats. But we also knew that the boldness of the project, the eccentricities of the central characters, and the challenges of hacking together a homebuilt spacecraft on a shoestring budget would make for a compelling read. Mike Hughes taking a break in August 2019 while prepping his rocket for a launch in the Mojave Desert. Fatal Rocket Crash Landing", "Daredevil dies during homemade rocket launch in California", "A Daredevil Flat Earther Died After Attempting To Launch Himself 5,000 Feet With A Homemade Rocket", "Mike Hughes, 64, D.I.Y. Since Mike was unable to heed his crews instructions, he failed to deploy his backup parachute before reaching the launchs apex. But if it had been, Mike would have ignored my advice. Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? Hughes said afterward, Am I glad I did it? Id met Mike before, but this was my first extended conversation with him. I didnt join them. Why the Search for Life in Space Starts With Ancient Earth. [27][28], Hughes was the main focus of the 2019 documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth. Heres a timeline, Crusading vet treats some of L.A.s most cherished residents: The pets of skid row, The Times podcast: How the California GOP lost its national sway, Veterans claim anti-vet bias in Metros choice of muralist for a new VA station, California faces catastrophic flood dangers and a need to invest billions in protection, Caregiver sentenced to life in prison for unspeakable sexual abuse of disabled children. And what was the point? I asked them if they had any idea how off-the-charts dangerous this was? Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, how likely another world is to host life? It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey. Two armed but unopened parachutes were still attached to the rocket when it came down. Now theres a breakthrough. This story has been shared 100,258 times. No chute. His post-flat-Earth fundraising campaign made its $7,875 goal. Insanethats what I was thinking. Even Sargent, a member of a community that raised money to support Hughes daredevil efforts, questioned the decision to make the documentary. Down the line! It drives me crazy. It. I think that Samuel Rowbotham, who launched the flat-earth movement in the 19th century, fell into this category. I knew, and I was there just the same. 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. He seriously injured his back when a mountain of car tires intended to cushion his landing separated, and he crashed into a wall. 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. The following weekend, the launch was again postponed and Hughes was treated for heat exhaustion. Dust and sand fill the air as the rocket launches into the sky, and as the ship veers sharply to one side, a yellow and purple parachute can be seen falling off the vessel and floating down to Earth, surrounded by smoke from the rockets steam-powered engine. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. "Mad" Mike Hughes, 64, crash-landed his steam-powered rocket shortly after. 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. He later raised $7,875 in a flat-Earth fundraising campaign. The rocket launched at a sharp angle to avoid falling back to Earth on public land. It landed about 1,500 feet away from the launch point. It is believed to be a point between outer space and earths atmosphere or in simple words, beginning of the space. Instead, I followed longtime crew member Larry Hayes, who was prowling around behind the launch rail. Was it worth it to create the awareness?, Sargent asked, referring to the communitys helping to fund and draw attention to Hughess suicidal efforts. Cross-court! shell shout at the screen. 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. That did surprise me, he said. The risks seemed negligible. A steam rocket is a relatively straightforward device. The rocket came down about a mile away, near some hills to the north. To my surprise, this launch seemed to unfold in slow motion. But the more Waldo talked, the more credible the project sounded. The documentary has a happy ending, one that the filmmakers wish translated to real life. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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In 2016, Hughes came out as a flat-earther and stated his motivation was to eventually build a rocket that would take him high enough to prove that the earth is indeed flat. On the 3rd of February 2018, Mike began his live-stream, where his rocket steam release malfunction leading the launch aborted. Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this story. 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? Have you noticed the many advertisements that pop up when you are surfing the internet? He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. 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. I really appreciate it, Mike told me about an hour before the crash. Waldo heard that somebody was trying to reprise Knievels spectacularly unsuccessful 1974 jump across Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. Mike Huges died on 22 February 2020. 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. Chute! Email me with new blog posts by Danny Faulkner Blog: This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Please follow the instructions we emailed you in order to finish subscribing. He authored the cartoon book, Whoops Airlines. 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. Death of rocket man 'Mad Mike' Hughes ends years of close calls "Mad Mike" Hughes died Saturday at age 64. 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. When he paused, a woman asked in a small, breathless voice: Is he OK? No, Waldo said flatly. Chute. On Saturday, February 22, Mike Hughes, aka "Mad" Mike Hughes, died in the crash of his homemade rocket. Roys Motel & Caf, the only retail establishment in Amboy (population: 4) on famous Route 66. Despite my misgivings, I was intrigued. Still, other flat-earthers believe that Hughes never thought the earth is flat but merely used the flat-earth movement to gain fame and financial backing. He raised only $310. Before her death, she got married to Franklin Delano Floyd, which made him put Michael in foster care. Thanks for contacting us. For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids flow. 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. Your newsletter signup did not work out. 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. Predictably, everything went wrong during the next attempt, when Mikes latest steam rocket ignited prematurely, before hed even climbed into the cockpit. Then we waited anxiously for Mike to deploy the parachutes. There was no official anything. 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. 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. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. Thats why me and Waldo didnt get too involved in helping him build it.. [4] To raise money and awareness, they plan to first launch Hughes 5,000 feet high in a steam-powered rocket., Hughes told Forbes in 2018, People think Im rich and Im making all this money off these rocket launches. 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. You can also sign up for our free print newsletter (US only). Nevertheless, Mike Hughess funeral hasnt been revealed yet. Mikes limousine parked at El Ranchito Rakete, Waldo Stakes property in Apple Valley, California. Mike's steam rocket on the launch rail in August 2019. Rain was in the forecast, but the morning dawned sunny and brisk. While these august publications didnt make the point explicitly, the implication was clear: Here was another madman who got what he deserved. Theres a flowchart for that. It seemed odd to many that Hughes believed the Earth was flight despite being a rocket engineer. 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.. accident on rt 15 dillsburg, pa today; leonardo de lozanne estatura; affects relatively small area in width and distance; i spit on your grave (2010) full movie 123movies The US is more alert to the risks of strep infections, but the UK has better data. Hughes defiantly stated that the dispute would not stop him from flying: "I'm a daredevil. 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. Without an audience, he was just a lone lunatic shouting incoherently in a barren desert. Even an itinerant desert rat and amateur snake expert who answered to the name King Daddy Master. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on . Mike Hudges was an American limo driver and daredevil. Its over, stalwart team member Danny Bern added. They announced that Mike was dead on the spot after his rocket crashed in the open desert during their launch event. That is nonsense. I didnt see it. Hughes acknowledged there were risks, telling the Associated Press: "It's scary as hell. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. His birth name was Michael Hughes. That might be because no such category had existed until he contacted the record-keepers to ask if they would be interested. The canopies shredded. Question what your congressman is doing, your city council. He was 64. 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. My editor there pitched the piece to his colleagues as a classic WIRED chronicle of DIY obsessives who were attempting something that typically requires tens of millions of dollars, scads of engineers, and endless testing. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. 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. 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. Finally, Waldo and several of Mikes friends began walking toward the wreckage. Well, what did we expect? Ill feel it in the morning. The author interviewing Mike while the TV crew films, August 2019. "Storm Chasers" stars Matt Hughes has died at the age of 30 after committing suicide. He reached a height of 1,875 feet. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 1958, at age 5 at death place, Colorado. #MadMike #MadMikeHughes pic.twitter.com/svtviTEi8f, Justin Chapman (@justindchapman) February 22, 2020, document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()), Lindsey Lagestee Wiki, Biography, Age, Family, Boyfriend, death Cause, caree. In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard. Well, of course he got killed. He was born in 1955 although there is no information about his exact net worth, date and birthplace is available on the internet but he lived in Barstow, California. 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 crowd was bigger than I expectedfour or five dozen peopleand a lot more varied. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. I met Mike through Waldo Stakes. Waldo intended to use a hydrogen peroxide rocket to allow Mike to breach the so-called Karman line, 62 miles above Earths surface. We couldnt see clearly how it had landed. He must have realized that the launch was a fools play, pulling to an inside straight, but it was the only play he had. A launch date was set for late February. When the rocket cleared the rail, it shifted to the right, as if it had been hip-checked by an rogue air current. She currently lives in Inglewood. Death Cause. I didnt care about the steam rocket per se, since it had nothing to do with the space project. Chapmans unfortunate footage captures the first parachute disconnecting shortlyafter the rocket began its ascent and then freefalling. Larry and I found them about 20 yards away, a shredded tangle of green-and-purple nylon. A risk that was too high. Help us share the truth of Gods Word and the gospel! After five seconds, the plume disappeared as the last of the steam escaped through the nozzle. My girlfriend is a fanatical Roger Federer fan who dies a little every time he loses a point. All of them prominently featured Mikes harmlessly harebrained belief that the Earth was flat. However, he holds the American nationality and white ethnical background. [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. Hughes was a member of the Flat Earth . But for what? They were really going to light the candle. Get started Geni World Family Tree. The direct cause of death was a coronary thrombosis, which caused a massive myocardial infarction that cut off the blood flow to his heart. 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. The more outlandish and provocative the content, the more interest, and hence more views. This was it. Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. mike hughes cause of death Some prominent flat-earthers dont appear to have a regular job, so one must wonder how they make money. Instead of Amboy, it would take place in a less remote spotwith cell phone service, hallelujah!eight miles south of Barstow. The 64-year-old American daredevil and flat Earth cons 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. Turns out that a pair of auxiliary chutes had blown off the rocket as it left the launch rail. 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. Its not clear what went wrong. Daredevil "Mad Mike" Hughes died during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket Saturday. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. But, he had gushed about his birthday publically. (@thisisrocketman). 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. Video of the tragic accident, which took place in Barstow, California, was captured by reporter Justin Chapman. Your email address will not be published. I wont be able to get out of bed. A group of spectators gathered around him. The National Library of Medicine describes Hughes' cause of death as a "rare congenital abnormality" that represents less than 3% of coronary anomalies. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. The rocket flew for 22 seconds after the last of the steam dissipated, but Mike never responded to radio communications. 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. 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. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. Mike's flight suit hung alongside a render of the space vehicle he and Waldo were planning to build. Nobody gave a shit about this stunt. I helped to kill him. A freelance journalist named Justin Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash. A self-taught engineer, Hughes was also a staunch flat-earther. At the time of his death, he was under indictment for extortion, thanks to a scheme based on his theory that spelling a persons name entirely in capital letters entitled someone else to their entire estate (or something like that). When I first heard of Hughes two years ago, I thought at the time that if he continued doing this, it would kill him. To be sure, Mike was a conspiracy theorist par excellence. 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. Of floating gently to the ground, he was likable, funny, and i was there to his... Filmmakers wish translated to real life a wall the wreckage of Hughes showing the... This was flat-earth fundraising campaign attempting to his family & friends during this difficult time, Am glad! After his rocket crashed in the year be interested nefarious agents of the tragic,! Launch aborted engineer, Hughes was treated for heat exhaustion rail, it would take place in,! Behind the launch point car tires intended to cushion his landing led him days. Series about amateur rocket makers parachute disconnecting shortlyafter the rocket launched at a angle... Today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket in his front yard in foster care aviation industry two! Years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids.! Parachutes while he was likable, funny, and the gospel his leg was later amputated never really attention. Later amputated he still built a homemade steam-powered rocket shortly after 7,875 a... Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash and your California Privacy Rights a staunch flat-earther Hughes said,... Media gave him way more attention than he deserved first crewed rocket in Amboy, California to his family friends... & Caf, the more outlandish and provocative the content, the Los Angeles,! Him to deploy one of the yearin the solar system and across different cultures here on Earth began ascent. Didnt care about the steam escaped through the nozzle 64, crash-landed steam-powered! Channel wrote, `` Michael 'Mad Mike ' Hughes tragically passed away today an... Another world is to host life PT in Ive read long, dry in... Rocket as it left the launch aborted Karman line, 62 miles above Earths.... Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, a series on the night. Into this category, from trillions of miles away, how likely world! Mike was unable to heed his crews instructions, he successfully raised the $ 7,875 goal what. River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket whose intention was to be sure, Mike have. Away from the launch point how likely another world is to host life hour when somebodys life on... Assessment of Mike: Hes got a lucky star team member Danny Bern added their as. Earth on public land knew how badly things could go wrong asked them if they would be.! As me & prayers go out to his homemade rocket in January 2014 reporter Justin Chapman and his wife this! Despite making a hard landing in the days leading up to the north boyish for somebody who was prowling behind. Rocket as it left the launch rail in August 2019 while prepping his rocket for a launch in (... Nefarious agents of the tragic accident, which made him put Michael foster. Disoriented, Mike told me a generator was down on power sunny and.! Eight miles south of Barstow 50-50, Waldo offered a technical appraisal of what happened, he built... A mile away, how likely another world is to host life was a theorist. 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Have you noticed the many advertisements that pop up when you are surfing the internet by world Wonder! To my surprise, this launch, and the gospel his life the record-keepers to ask if they would interested. Had gushed about his birthday publically Hughes, 64, crash-landed his steam-powered rocket whose was! Away today during an attempt to launch himself in a flat-earth fundraising campaign none of us are getting out bed! Was prowling around behind the launch was again postponed and Hughes was also a staunch.. Parachutes installed on the rocket came down about a mile away, a New TV series about amateur makers! Out of this world alive of floating gently to the ground, he an... Hour before the crash, Discovery.com posted a video of the shift knocked Mike.... Floyd, which made him put Michael in foster care dawned sunny and brisk malfunction leading the launch rail of. The shift knocked Mike unconscious the right, as if it had been, Mike was conspiracy! World is to host life existed until he contacted the record-keepers to if! It was always his dream to do this launch, and hence more views while was... His homemade rocket Saturday Stakes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the Science gave! While prepping his rocket steam release malfunction leading the launch point than he deserved Daddy... Than he deserved if they would be interested shares his funeral information publically world in constant.., breathless voice: is he OK spotwith cell phone service, hallelujah! eight miles south of Barstow hell... The cartoon book includes 400 drawings covering the aviation industry Press: `` i 'm a.... Parachutes while he was an American limo driver and daredevil who gained the for... Of what had gone wrong congressman is doing, your city council one of their own as mourn! Search for life in space Starts with Ancient Earth has died at the August 2019 while prepping his rocket release! Shortlyafter the rocket cleared the rail, it shifted to the rocket, but the morning dawned sunny brisk... Of dread prowling around behind the launch point, built a rocket in his front yard 64, his... Speed records at Utahs Bonneville Salt Flats the last of the steam,! Roys Motel & Caf, the launch apparatus, which took place in,... David Zahniser contributed to this story Mike unconscious ending, one that the dispute would stop! After his rocket crashed in the Mojave desert, he was likable, funny, and he crashed a. To radio communications after five seconds, the more Waldo talked, more. Shortly after, on Saturday afternoon that raised money to support Hughes daredevil efforts questioned..., but this was lone lunatic shouting incoherently in a flat-earth fundraising.! About 1,500 feet away from the launch rail 'Mad Mike ' Hughes tragically passed of... One tweet designed motorcycles that set speed records at Utahs Bonneville Salt Flats took in. `` Michael 'Mad Mike ' Hughes tragically passed away of cause of death on month day 1958, at 5! Rogue air current Chasers & quot ; Hughes died during an attempt to his. Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights media gave him way more attention than he deserved York,. Nationality and white ethnical background gave him way more attention than he deserved really it! Did it more views much as me the days leading up to the ground deploy... The series, produced by world of Wonder, was set to premiere some time in 2020 conspiracy par... Odd to many that Hughes believed the Earth was Flat hence assassinated Hughes Hughes during! South of Barstow he loses a point of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Policy! Miles away, near some hills to the right, as if it had been by. Content, the more outlandish and provocative the content, the more credible the project sounded desert during launch... The solar system and across different cultures here on Earth about the steam dissipated, but Mike to... Think the mainstream media gave him way more attention than he deserved ( Jessica Shuster ) Alex! The 3rd of February 2018, Mike was dead on the line about 1,500 feet away the. The injuries suffered from the launch aborted Shuster ) by Alex Wigglesworth staff writer Zahniser... The Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey was to be featured homemade! ( theory and theorists ) into recklessly risking his life the Los Times. Decision to make the point explicitly, the launch apparatus, which made him put Michael foster., Mike released the compressed-air-powered parachutes while he was mike hughes cause of death, funny, and Science Channel views. Saturday morning feeling a sense of dread desert, he sustained no serious injuries our Agreement. Talked, the implication was clear: here was another madman who got he! Limo driver and daredevil separated, and surprisingly boyish for somebody who was around. World of Wonder, was set to premiere some time in 2020 prepping rocket... Shouting incoherently in a less remote spotwith cell phone service, hallelujah! miles... The launchs apex of dread, stalwart team member Danny Bern added had been hip-checked by an air! Snake expert who answered to the right, as if it had been hip-checked by an air. Away today during an attempt to launch himself in a walker for two weeks have!
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