Released in August 2019, this 94-minute documentary, co-directed by Toby Brusseau and Michael Linn, starred Mike Hughes, Waldo Sykes, Patrick Marchese. A crew member was hurt so badly that part of his leg was later amputated. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. Mike even stated that he was in a walker for two weeks from the injuries. [27][28], Hughes was the main focus of the 2019 documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth. The author interviewing Mike while the TV crew films, August 2019. 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. To my surprise, this launch seemed to unfold in slow motion. He set a Guinness world record in 2002 when he jumped 103 foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. Well, what did we expect? Thanks for contacting us. The Created Cosmos and The Expanse of Heaven, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. [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. I think that Samuel Rowbotham, who launched the flat-earth movement in the 19th century, fell into this category. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. If a manufacturer of cars or any other product knowingly makes things that are defective that ultimately results in severe injury or death, then they are culpable. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. 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 group of spectators gathered around him. 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. His rocket flew 1,374 feet over Winkelman, Arizona in just over one minute. Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, how likely another world is to host life? It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. A tire blew out. He was 64. 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. Eventually, he successfully raised the $7,875 fund from the campaign. [8], In 2016, Hughes launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket that raised $310. 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. Theres a flowchart for that. The reaction of the flat-earth community has been varied. Death of rocket man 'Mad Mike' Hughes ends years of close calls "Mad Mike" Hughes died Saturday at age 64. 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. Terms of Service apply. Well, of course he got killed. That did surprise me, he said. 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 risks seemed negligible. Following the sudden announcement that the forecaster had died on Wednesday night's episode of the Discovery. According to the BLM, after seeing some news articles about the planned launch, a BLM representative reached out to Hughes with concerns. He reached a height of 1,875 feet. Hughes was always planning his next stunt, with each one taking him higher than the last. 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. [4] 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. We usually watch his matches on our DVR, long after theyve been played. Its over, stalwart team member Danny Bern added. He announced at that meeting that he was negotiating a deal with a TV network to cover his launch attempts. He blamed permission difficulties for rescheduling his launch. 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 wanted the fame and the girls, Sargent says, adding that Hughes had sued him and other Flat Earth figures, claiming his name was his legal property. But Michael Linn, Brusseaus partner on the documentary, said that, based on his conversations with Hughes, the belief appeared to be genuine. Michael Hughes, popularly known as "Mad" Mike Hughes, was an American limousine driver, professed flat-Earther, and daredevil known for flying in self-built steam rockets. Mike was born in the Hughes family and possessed a white ethnical background. CHUTE! 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.. Dramatic video footage of the botched stunt posted on social media appears to indicate that there was a problem with his parachute. MIKE, THROW THE GODDAMNED CHUTE!. Hughes and Stakes were one of three teams that working to get as close to space, or the Karman line, the invisible line which is 62 miles (99.78 km) above Earths surface that is often thought of as the beginning of space., Hughes was known for attempting to blast off in a rocket that was made using mostly spare parts and during a launch in March 2018, he needed to deploy his parachute after making it a half-mile into the sky. Last spring, Waldo called to tell me hed hatched a crazily ambitious plan: He wanted to send Mike into space. 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? I met Mike through Waldo Stakes. Waldo Stakes at the August 2019 launch in Amboy, California. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. Why didnt we turn away? Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? 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. Without an audience, he was just a lone lunatic shouting incoherently in a barren desert. Ill officially say that.. (@thisisrocketman). And what was the point? He was convinced that shadowy international cabals were running the world. So the project was more serious than two goofballs chasing an impossible dream, and from a technical standpoint, it seemed feasible, if not entirely plausible. Likewise Mike Hughes' tragic death. Larry and I found them about 20 yards away, a shredded tangle of green-and-purple nylon. Its suspected that Mike blacked out due to the rocket having blasted off at around 500 MPH. michael hughes 1887 1957 michael hughes, Circa 1887 - 1957 . Ad Choices, DIY Rockets, Daredevils, and the Tragedy of Mad Mike Hughes. I stayed away from the crew as the water pressure rose. Effectively, he was duped by FET (theory and theorists) into recklessly risking his life. An O-ring failed. Insanethats what I was thinking. 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. [9] [10] Hughes was buried in San Antonio , Texas , and all 40 of his Lions teammates attended his funeral, including head coach Joe Schmidt . After he shared his belief of a flat earth, he gained support from the Flat-Earth community. I believe the truth is worth taking risks for.. There has never been another death on the field. 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 . According to CBC News, Hughes collapsed after the landing and it took him three days to recover. Waldo heard that somebody was trying to reprise Knievels spectacularly unsuccessful 1974 jump across Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. 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. Get the HOTTEST Music, News & Videos Delivered Weekly. Sure enough, I approached WIRED and got a green light. The series was scheduled to air on the US Science Channel. I didnt care about the steam rocket per se, since it had nothing to do with the space project. Yeah, for sure, absolutely it was. 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. Hughes was officially pronounced dead at 5:34 p.m. An autopsy revealed that he had died of acute coronary thrombosis, brought on by premature hardening of the arteries. He lived in California. The phenomenon threatens local drinking water, and scientists think climate change may be the culprit. Those dreams ended on the edge of the Mojave Desert. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Nobody gave a shit about this stunt. This earned him a speaking spot at the 2018 Flat Earth International Conference (FEIC) in Denver. Mad Mike Hughes died Saturday at age 64. Mikes limousine parked at El Ranchito Rakete, Waldo Stakes property in Apple Valley, California. He died following his rocket crash-landing in the open desert in California on 22 February 2020. A lot of things hes done would have killed somebody else or put him in a wheelchair.. He appeared in the 2019 documentary "Rocketman - Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth". A steam rocket is a relatively straightforward device. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes' family and friends during this difficult time. Were going to have to bury him, Waldo said. 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. He launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket in 2016. I headed to Barstow first thing Saturday morning feeling a sense of dread. For me, Flat Earth is bigger than my friends and family and even my own life. The sun was unrelenting, with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees. He is known for other names like Mad Mike Hughes and Daredevil. And we in the media enabled him. 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. Flat Earth Community Undeterred by Death of Mad Mike Hughes, Violated, Confused, and Incredibly Disrespected: Another Woman Accuses Andrew Callaghan of Sexual Misconduct, Andrew Callaghan, Popular Host of All Gas No Brakes and Channel 5, Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Mormon Church Sent Patients to Sex Therapist Even After One Accused Him of Abuse. 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. A Philadelphia native, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medical anthropology and global health. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this story. This Christmas, Its Firmageddon as Climate Change Hits Oregon, More than a million acres of state forest contain trees that have succumbed to stressors exacerbated by a multiyear drought, A New Computer Proof Blows Up Centuries-Old Fluid Equations. Ive heard that some make six figures promoting a flat earth. 2023 Cond Nast. He died on February 22, 2020, while filming a stunt for an upcoming Science Channel television series. This is particularly true of those in the flat-earth movement who arent serious about the earth being flat. The US is more alert to the risks of strep infections, but the UK has better data. Some prominent flat-earthers dont appear to have a regular job, so one must wonder how they make money. The documentary has a happy ending, one that the filmmakers wish translated to real life. How to Save Your Smartphones Battery Life. I know he didnt believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick. "There were a couple of live streamers, like . Privacy Policy and
In the year 2016, Mike launched a program to make a rocket but failed by earning $310. While that landing was hard, Hughes said that he received no serious injuries. 'Mad' Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket crash in the desert in California. Although Mike was a fine fabricator and an excellent mechanic, he knew nothing about rocketry, and he was constantly running up against his technical limitations. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 1958, at age 5 at death place, Colorado. Who is more pathetic, the people whose exploits populate YouTube channels filled with videos of appalling crashes and fatal accidents or the people who consume them as entertainment? Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. He raised thousands of dollars onGoFundMe to finance the construction of his rockets. '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. [5][6][7] He stated during an interview with the Associated Press in 2018 that he had planned to run for Governor of California. 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. A heater core leaked. 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? 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. He postponed his launch due to mechanical troubles. That belief has circulated among flat-earthers since his appearance at the 2018 FEIC. We want to hear it.
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