A man planning to launch up into the sky at 500mph today as part of a series of launches to prove the Earth is flat, has temporarily scrubbed those plans due to a hiccup with a government entity. The Bureau of Land Management would not allow the launch to occur on or over public lands; as a result, the homemade rocket builder plans to launch around Tuesday from private land in Amboy, California.
Limo driver turned dare-devil “Mad” Mike Hughes is planning to use a steam-powered rocket to launch himself 1,800 feet into the sky. Hughes understands he’ll need to travel much higher to see how flat he thinks the Earth really is. On Facebook, Hughes wrote, “Let’s set the record straight. This is a rocket jump. We have a solid plan to put me at the edge of space to the Karman Line and the cost is around $1.8 million.”
Today’s scrubbed mission uses a much more affordable rocket; with $20,000, scrap metal, and a used motor home purchased on Craigslist, Hughes plans to raise awareness and funds for his rocketry and plans to prove the Earth is flat. An earlier launch put Hughes up 1,374 feet, although he says that mission forced him to spend 3 days recovering from what he described as excessive G forces during the launch.
