Flat-Earth Daredevil Mad Mike Hughes Dies in Homemade Rocket Launch (nbcnews.com) 292
"He was working on a TV show, Homemade Astronauts, when his craft crashed in the California desert," reports NBC. Four different Slashdot readers shared the news.
NBC News reports: Daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes died Saturday when a homemade rocket he was attached to launched but quickly dove to earth in the California desert.
The stunt was apparently part of a forthcoming television show, "Homemade Astronauts," that was scheduled to debut later this year on Discovery Inc.'s Science Channel. Discovery confirmed the 64-year-old's death in a statement. "It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey," the company said...
In 2018, he successfully launched himself about 1,875 feet into the sky above the Mojave desert via a garage-made rocket. His landing that year was softened when he deployed a parachute.
In social media video of Saturday's accident, a parachute-like swath of fabric can be seen flying away from the rocket shortly after blast-off.
NBC News reports: Daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes died Saturday when a homemade rocket he was attached to launched but quickly dove to earth in the California desert.
The stunt was apparently part of a forthcoming television show, "Homemade Astronauts," that was scheduled to debut later this year on Discovery Inc.'s Science Channel. Discovery confirmed the 64-year-old's death in a statement. "It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey," the company said...
In 2018, he successfully launched himself about 1,875 feet into the sky above the Mojave desert via a garage-made rocket. His landing that year was softened when he deployed a parachute.
In social media video of Saturday's accident, a parachute-like swath of fabric can be seen flying away from the rocket shortly after blast-off.
Question (Score:2)
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was it the same old rocket
The questions is: Who repacked the chute?
Re:Question (Score:5, Funny)
What else could it be?
Re:Question (Score:5, Funny)
Round Earth conspirators can be found all around the globe.
The Round Earth conspiracy is also ancient. (Score:5, Informative)
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Yeah that is what I was thinking. Live like a retard die like a retard. This was a Dunning Kruger suicide.although unintentional because most things are unintentional when you are an idiot.
Did he have kids?? (Score:5, Funny)
Did he have kids?? A Darwin Award is purely symbolic unless someone hunts down and offs his offspring... just saying.
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A true legend (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A true legend (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:A true legend (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A true legend (Score:5, Informative)
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His goal wasn't to verify anything, his goal was to fly a rocket, and he lied to get funding.
Exactly, just a gimmick for publicity and funding. I thought it was obvious, but evidently he's fooled a lot more people than I'd have expected.
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The problem with using a drone is that drones are already regulated far more than "homebuilt rockets". Apparently drones are too dangerous -- but homebuilt rockets are safe? This tragedy also makes a lie of the aviation regulators' claims that drones are less safe than manned craft "because real pilots have skin in the game".
Really... go check out the FAA's NPRM that will require all drones and RC model aircraft to have "remote ID" that will report the position of every unmanned aircraft (including toys
Re:A true legend (Score:5, Interesting)
You make it seem like the FAA cares. I was at a shopping center just yesterday, less than a mile from a major airport and less than 1000 feet directly under the flightpath. It's a very busy airport. Yet there I was, in this shopping center featuring an adhoc carnival and there's a drone zipping around taking video or whatever.
The drone was being flown by the county recreation authority running the carnival because they wanted good publicity photos. Just for photos, Not public safety. Not operated by law enforcement. When I pointed out there's an airport RIGHT THERE! They dismissed it with "Oh it's ok. We're the county. We can do what we want."
The FAA may care. And people who don't want to see accidents may care. But everybody else just wants to do whatever they want.
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Using a drone would've been too simple, safe and, you know, smart... or spend 200$ on a plane ticket to get to 33,000 feet safely.
Even just stick a 360 camera to the front of your rocket instead of climbing in yourself.
Re:A true legend (Score:5, Funny)
If the surface of Earth had curvature he would have lived by sliding down the side of the ball. But since the Earth is flat he went splat.
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Give him credit where due, he got thousands of flat-earthers to fund his rocket construction by pretending to verify their theories.
And of course, no True Believer is going to back off their crackpot claims one bit as a result of this. You see, "they" must have killed him out there in the desert and made it look like an accident, to prevent him from getting up there and revealing the flatness of the Earth. Like antivaxers and No Nukers, these inbreds will stay around and keep voting forever.
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That's like praising a televangelist for duping idiots into paying for his mansi... church.
Re:A true legend (Score:4, Insightful)
No, Jesus wants ME to have a Ferrari! He wants YOU to pay for it.
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Mad Mike had a TV deal, notoriety, name recognition, and your hatred.
Many people count that as success!
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Re:A true legend (Score:5, Insightful)
He wasn't trying to brainwash anyone. Man, you're filled with hate.
The man just wanted to fly his rocket. Elon Musk manages to get real investors to pay, but Mad Mike could only manage to get Flat Earthers to pay. But he wasn't too proud to take their money, if it meant living his dream.
And what dream are you living? The dream of 9-to-5 drudgery in the same old office? And you think you're the smart one?
to me that makes you the mortal enemy of humanity and someone we need to start rounding up and removing from society
You're off your meds again. They really do help.
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And you think you're the smart one?
I mostly think I'm the alive one.
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Why are you so emotionally invested in the earth being round that you won't even consider contradictory evidence?
You should go back to Infowars. You're over your head here.
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You people are so easily trolled, and when you reply you reveal yourselves to be horrible people. That's the secret of flat earthism, I think.
And shitcan the "boomer" bullshit. That's just generational warfare promoted by our ruling class to divide us. Boomers didn't cause the problems, our ruling class did. We all must unite against them - but we won't if you keep spewing their propaganda. Please stop.
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Re: A true legend (Score:2)
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Look, I have no idea whether the earth is round or flat, but we really need to settle the question once and for all.
How would this guy's evidence be any better or more trustworthy than, y'know, all of the evidence gathered from the age of the ancient greeks through the space age?
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It is settled. We have satellites in orbit. And if you consider Nasa, Roskosmos, ESA and all the other space agencies part of some huge conspiracy, go rent a theodolite and start measuring the earth yourself to see that yes, it is actually curved and yes, it is actually round.
For fuck's sake, it's not like there is any question left!
Re:A true legend (Score:4, Insightful)
Look, I have no idea whether the earth is round or flat,
Best flame war starter post, ever!
Re: A true legend (Score:2)
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OTOH...he's dead. That's a pretty good counterargument against success.
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The man died as he lived, as spectacular failure at everything he attempted.
I don't agree. He was an attention seeker, and he got it.
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#MissionAccomplished
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The man died as he lived, as spectacular failure at everything he attempted.
He has the Guinness world record for the longest car jump in a limousine.
That's pretty good for a daredevil.
As for the flat-Earth stuff, that was part of his sponsorship deal. He had a sponsor.
That's pretty good for a daredevil.
He could have used a ground crew, though, to move the ladder.
So I guess facts still matter after all (Score:5, Insightful)
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What utility? The proof that you're dying if you hit earth at terminal velocity? I thought we already proved that long time ago, but hey, thanks for confirming the findings of Airforce and NASA...
I object to this comment. (Score:3)
He wasn't going terminal velocity in other than the lethal sense.
He wasn't high enough to hit aerodynamic terminal velocity; that would have taken another couple thousand feet.
He was doing ~200mph tops. :)
It was certainly terminal, though; a backup chute would have been a lifesaver.
Flat Earth or Round, Gravity is a Bitch.
Darwin (Score:2)
Don't be a sheeple (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Don't be a sheeple (Score:5, Funny)
Have you ever seen Satanic Mason Witches...hot, hot, hot!!
Flat-earther (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Flat-earther (Score:5, Funny)
Alternatively, he went from Flat-Earther to Splat-Earther.
Science Channel (Score:5, Insightful)
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He would have attempted it, because he did it once before. Whether he had the resources without the Science Channel's money, I don't know -- but it probably would have only delayed the launch, not stopped it, if he had a funds shortage.
Re:Science Channel (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course they pushed him. They shoot stuff on shoestring budgets and don't plan for extra filming days. That's at least how it was on Mythbusters. Very tight deadlines and tighter budgets. The show was apparently only set for three episodes anyway, which screams low budget. It takes budget to stick around extra days in the desert with all those crew people to feed and house.
If you look at the crash video, they appear to have launched with the only patch of blue sky for miles around. So it was cloudy. They probably had clouds ruining their camera shots and got an opening to launch. Go go go!
The chute failure looks similar to Evil Knievel's chute failure from decades ago. Probably a very similar design flaw. And it would have happened even without TV pushing him. It would have taken a redesigned chute to fix it and I'd bet nobody was worried about that part. So he was a dead man the moment he launched. The only the variable was when it was going to kill him.
Re:Science Channel (Score:5, Interesting)
Discovery's Role (Score:5, Interesting)
He was a Flat Earther launching himself in homemade rockets, so he clearly had some mental issues. I remember around the time of his previous launch people were concerned that the Internet goading him into a launch was actually goading him into suicide.
Reality TV stars can become fairly rich and famous, and Discovery's TV show could have done that for him... assuming he provided enough launches and drama to make good TV, which is a very dangerous incentive.
I'm not saying it's impossible to ethically film TV shows about things like this, and maybe Discovery was enforcing extra safeguards, but it's a problematic setup.
Fundamentally, they were making a TV show celebrating a mentally ill person for doing something suicidally dangerous. The fact that the person ended up dying is probably related.
Re:Discovery's Role (Score:5, Insightful)
Why do you assume he was mentally ill? He enjoyed building and flying in rockets. That is pretty amazing stuff. It isn't easy to build a manned rocket by yourself.
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These guys don't really believe the Earth is flat. They are just having a laugh while hanging out with each other.
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Re:Discovery's Role (Score:5, Insightful)
Why do you assume he was mentally ill?
He thought the Earth was flat. To maintain that belief in the modern world seems a pretty strong indicator of mental illness.
He enjoyed building and flying in rockets. That is pretty amazing stuff. It isn't easy to build a manned rocket by yourself.
It was amazing and impressive. Also extraordinarily dangerous for someone who had a tenuous grasp of reality (as evidenced by the whole flat Earth thing).
Re: Discovery's Role (Score:2)
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He was a Flat Earther launching himself in homemade rockets, so he clearly had some mental issues. I remember around the time of his previous launch people were concerned that the Internet goading him into a launch was actually goading him into suicide.
Reality TV stars can become fairly rich and famous, and Discovery's TV show could have done that for him... assuming he provided enough launches and drama to make good TV, which is a very dangerous incentive.
I'm not saying it's impossible to ethically film TV shows about things like this, and maybe Discovery was enforcing extra safeguards, but it's a problematic setup.
Fundamentally, they were making a TV show celebrating a mentally ill person for doing something suicidally dangerous. The fact that the person ended up dying is probably related.
Fundamentally, they were covering "homemade astronauts." They didn't push the flat Earth narrative.
This could have happened to Evel Knievel.
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Fundamentally, they were covering "homemade astronauts." They didn't push the flat Earth narrative.
This could have happened to Evel Knievel.
Evel Knievel was a professional and I think he typically organized his own stunts. I suspect anyone who hired him or was part owner of the performance would need an insurance policy. There's a ton of rules around TV & Film Stunt Performers precisely because there's such a strong economic incentive to put them in harm's way.
If you did make a Reality TV show covering amateur daredevils you're going to need massive liability insurance since someone is going to seriously injure themselves and sue you for mi
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Flat Earther? With mental issues? I"m shocked, shocked ...
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Rockets first (Score:2)
So thoughtful to have a parachute for the rocket but not for the personal use.
Another missed opportunity! (Score:3)
Flat-Earther Gets Flattened By Earth
This could have been your headline Slashdot! How could you pass it up?!
Obligatory conspiracy theory (Score:3, Funny)
The man was murdered by a group of people who massively benefit from promoting the flat earth theory and merchandising flat earth related paraphernalia while they themselves know that it all is a hoax. Mad Mike was beneficial to them only as long as he was staying on the ground or at least was not reaching any altitude significant enough for him to discover the uncomfortable truth. Behind the scenes TheDonald, Hillary, and Obama are also involved in the plot, as they have been on the same side of this matter from before 2016. They've all traveled enough to know that the world is not flat, but they all need(ed) the flat earth discussion to divert attention from the uneducated masses from what was really going on to rip them off. Time and future revelations will prove this right.
The worst part of this, is that some idiot will believe the previous paragraph to be true, even after having read this one. Because anything that's openly denied or ridiculed must have a hidden truth hiding underneath that somebody is trying to suppress.
The world really is a dodecahedron.
Re: Obligatory conspiracy theory (Score:2)
Actually far more likely is the flat earth idiots will claim it was sabotage by round earthers to prevent "the truth" being discovered. Etc etc, add various absurd embellishments as appropriate.
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Russians. You forgot the Russians.
And the reverse Vampires.
Not a good omen for the next season (Score:2)
He was working on a TV show, Homemade Astronauts
Did the ratings bomb?
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He was working on a TV show, Homemade Astronauts
Did the ratings bomb?
I bet they rocketed. Speaking of which, where do we find a link to a video on this?
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Took off really well, but was DOA.
Obviously (Score:2)
Our latest Darwin award winner! (Score:2)
Ding ding ding!!
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Dude was 64 - a bit late to invoke Darwin.
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Dude was 64 - a bit late to invoke Darwin.
We live in the time of Viagra, when men of almost any age can procreate. Hopefully no women of child bearing age were still consorting with this moron, but at least we know for certain now that he won't further pollute the human gene pool. Unless he faked his own death to escape the persecution of the mainstream liberal scientific media scam.
He achieved his mission of proving earth is flat (Score:2)
If I wasn't an atheist. (Score:3)
Flat earther presented with Darwin Award by Isaac Newton.
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I'll just leave this here to correct a popular misconception. [wikipedia.org]
That's the... (Score:2)
The least surprising headline ever
About time (Score:2)
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Airplanes are operated by the establishment. The so-called windows in them in reality are computer displays, aimed at preventing passengers from seeing that the earth is flat as a pancake,
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Will there be a Homemade Astronauts show? (Score:2)
Kinda sad (Score:2)
Scientific discoveries during all times were always accompanied by the people making them suffering horribly for the discoveries they make. Scientific discoveries were mostly accompanied by blood, sweat and tears.
What's tragic about this one is, though, that even if he succeeded, there was no scientific breakthrough waiting for him at the end. Best thing we can hope is that his goal was less to go on a wild goose chase but to actually sit in a rocket flying up to the sky. Then he at least died doing what he
sweet (Score:3)
Flat earthers, lol (Score:3)
Any time a story starts with "Flat Earther" and has the words "homemade rocket" in it, you know it's not going to end well.
Well at least.. (Score:4, Funny)
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I hope the next flat earthers try autonomous rockets with cameras instead of pilots to save precious lives
No, we need more of them to try this. Thinning the herd is a necessity at this point.
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Why should we? The only thing he could have done is find out what we have been telling the people all along, if anything, I really wanted him to get as high as he could possibly get, come back down and report what he saw.
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And how do you untie yourself of a rocket going at several Gs?
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Wait for it to stop. The rocket didn't tip over and slam into the ground. He apparently got ejected from the rocket at altitude and fell to his death.
More rockets! (Score:2)
Tourism?
Re:Love the responses here (Score:5, Insightful)
Mock him all you want - he built his own rockets and flew in them. That's more tech and science than most of you posting here will ever muster.
I'm sure I could manage to build something to kill myself with.
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...He built his own "rocket", which first a: didn't make it up as far as you can with a cheapass ultralight, and nowhere near where you could get with a freaking -balloon-, and then b: killed him.
So, you're not exactly contradicting the 'HE SO STUPID' people here.
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Mock him all you want - he built his own rockets and flew in them. That's more tech and science than most of you posting here will ever muster.
Look, it's sad he died. I actually liked his hijinks. Plus he got a bunch of money out of flat earthers, and I can't not like that. But if you die doing something that's literally indistinguishable from a Wile E Coyote skit, you kind of give up your right not to be mocked afterwards.
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And yet, he was either an idiot or a huckster.
Hate to break it to you, but there's not a non-governemnt rocket company on this planet that doesn't sound like it's run by a huckster. Elon Musk is the pinnacle of trustwortyness by comparison. Let that sink in.
Mad Mike actually built and flew rockets. By the standard of rocket companies, that's as honest as it comes. Flat Earthers gave him money to fly his rocket, and he flew his rocket. Hardly a huckster.
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You, too, can attempt to launch your own rocket, send your self up, then realize that gravity and terminal velocity are also proven principles.
There's an event in the Black Rock Desert each year where loads of people launch lots of stuff. Strap yourself on. Remember the parachute, as The Bottom Has A Rocky Reputation.
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Somehow I highly doubt that his crates were anything close to being man-rated, but hey, as long as he only blows himself up, I'll be the last person to demand any standards from him.