And they planned to do it with a spacecraft built at El Ranchito Rakete. He announced at that meeting that he was negotiating a deal with a TV network to cover his launch attempts. Editors picks It took me two years to figure out how this works. Far from prompting people to re-examine their own beliefs, if anything Hughes death cemented their commitment to chasing what they believe to be the truth at any cost. He later changed his schedule to 2 December 2017. Disoriented, Mike released the compressed-air-powered parachutes while he was still traveling too fast. Mad Mike attracted attention for his conspiracy theories and for documenting his bold pursuits. We've received your submission. The cartoon book includes 400 drawings covering the aviation industry. Others were more somber, stating that his passing was proof of the dangers of believing wholeheartedly in dangerous anti-scientific beliefs. He was a lonely guy, Linn said. Since Mike was unable to heed his crews instructions, he failed to deploy his backup parachute before reaching the launchs apex. Before his death, Mike had lived a married man. That network was the Science Channel, and their cameras were at the fatal launch to record part of a series Homemade Astronauts, in which Hughes would star. Mike Hughes was born in 1955. Success! It is believed to be a point between outer space and earths atmosphere or in simple words, beginning of the space. The Science Channel show, Homemade Astronauts, documented three self-financed teams as they attempt to get a rocket into space on a shoestring budget. The mayor/owner of Amboy, along with two of the three full-time residents. Michael passed away of cause of death on month day 1958, at age 5 at death place, Colorado. 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. Hughes spent his childhood in Oklahoma City. We all understood that the chances of success were minimal. Periodically, Waldo would call me with updates. This was in Amboy. Head coach Joe Schmidt and the entire Lions team attended Hughes' funeral in San Antonio. [1][11] After professing his belief in a flat Earth later that year, Hughes gained support within the flat-Earth community. In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard. He was convinced that shadowy international cabals were running the world. A freelance journalist named Justin Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash. Roys Motel & Caf, the only retail establishment in Amboy (population: 4) on famous Route 66. So instead of floating gently to the ground, he crash-landed after a wild 11-second flight. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. With 90 gallons of water in the tank, the goal was to reach an altitude of one mile. Given the tragic turn of events, its doubtful that this series will go forward. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. Hughes reported no serious injury from the landing. 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. The more views that a site has, the more potential customers see the ads. Id met Mike before, but this was my first extended conversation with him. (single, married, in relation or divorce). Effectively, he was duped by FET (theory and theorists) into recklessly risking his life. Predictably, everything went wrong during the next attempt, when Mikes latest steam rocket ignited prematurely, before hed even climbed into the cockpit. Nobody could find the pylons for the guy wires supporting the launch rail. At least I enabled him. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But, of course, his biggest delusion was that there was widespread interest in his antics. Assorted flat-Earthers and conspiracy theorists. 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 stayed away from the crew as the water pressure rose. As of 2020, Mikes net worth was estimated at $500 thousand. This was partly out of a sense of self-preservation; at this point, the rocket was effectively a bomb. He said that my suggestion was tantamount to auto manufacturers being responsible for car accidents. He raised thousands of dollars onGoFundMe to finance the construction of his rockets. A tire blew out. Period.) And in this sense, he was successful: though he says there were some background conversations within the community regarding the question of whether Hughes could crash, all in all Sargent considered the campaign the best $8,000 we ever spent, due to the enormous amount of media attention it garnered for the Flat Earth cause. After five seconds, the plume disappeared as the last of the steam escaped through the nozzle. MIKE, THROW THE GODDAMNED CHUTE!. '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. Hughes died in a rocket crash on February 22, 2020. Once hed wriggled inside, Waldo secured the door behind him. [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. He built his first crewed rocket in January 2014. Science Channel wrote, "Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. This was it. Likewise Mike Hughes' tragic death. Its suspected that Mike blacked out due to the rocket having blasted off at around 500 MPH. [8], At the time of his death, Hughes lived in Apple Valley, California. Similarly, those who promote the flat-earth movement (primarily on the internet), particularly such stunts, bear some responsibility for Hughes death. The tragic difference here is that he was duped into a ridiculous and unnecessary proof of something that is already beyond requiring any further evidence. Was it worth it to create the awareness?, Sargent asked, referring to the communitys helping to fund and draw attention to Hughess suicidal efforts. But its the price I pay for a life thats not boring.. Related Mikes rep,Darren Shuster, toldTMZthat, upon launching, Mikesparachute got snagged by a ladder next to the rock. 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. Mike would have been just as dead if hed been killed trying to fly to space. Well, of course he got killed. He self-made rockets, which he planned to fly into the outer space to prove flat-Earth conspiracy theories. A representative of Mad Mike has explained what went wrong during the daredevils fatal rocket launch last month. Saturdays launch was to be Hughes highest yet; he was attempting to travel 5,000 feet into the air. 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. For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluids flow. Privacy Policy and The launch was initially scheduled for last August but was moved several times due to technical difficulties. Then we waited anxiously for Mike to deploy the parachutes. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. It seemed odd to many that Hughes believed the Earth was flight despite being a rocket engineer. He was widely famous due to his self made rocket engineer and limo stuntman and also for his thoughts regarding Flat Earth theory. Grinning fiercely, Waldo told me, Im going to send this guy into space, and people are going to go, Two fucking hillbillies living in Apple Valley built a spaceship, promoted it themselves, hooked it to a balloon, and launched him into space.. It was getting him back alive. Mikes height and weight hadnt been disclosed publically. 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. It will be updated soon. Even Sargent, a member of a community that raised money to support Hughes daredevil efforts, questioned the decision to make the documentary. 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, 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 2012, I wrote a story about the car he was building in an effort to break the sound barrier. He died following his rocket crash-landing in the open desert in California on 22 February 2020. This was ideal for WoW, which needed some action to film. To be sure, Mike was a conspiracy theorist par excellence. Information about his parents and siblings will be updated soon. The death of "Mad" Mike Hughes has brought attention to the danger of promoting pseudoscience but Flat Earthers stand by their "mission". Information about his personal life is not available. Coronavirus Is Spreading And So Are the Hoaxes and Conspiracy Theories Around It. A generator wasnt making enough power. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time I helped to kill him. Waldo asked me, You know what will happen if we get him into space and get him down alive?, Ill be the most famous guy on the planet! Mike crowed before I could reply. The challenge, I suggested, wasnt shooting Mike into space. A rival steam-engine builder. That did surprise me, he said. Also, after a visual inspection, other members of the crew were convinced that the rocket was going to clip the frame of the launch rig on the way up. 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. The sun was unrelenting, with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees. Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. 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. It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. Waldo checked out the steam rocket Mike had built at a truck shop in Fontana. 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. He Jiankui discusses his plans for finding cures for devastating genetic diseases. Mike's rocket on the truck bed used for transport. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. The crowd was bigger than I expectedfour or five dozen peopleand a lot more varied. 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 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. There was no stopping him, Linn said. Mad Mike Hughes died Saturday at age 64. Waldo (left) and Mike confer at the launch in Amboy. 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. Mike's flight suit hung alongside a render of the space vehicle he and Waldo were planning to build. People ask me why I do stuff like this, he said. Daredevil 'Mad' Mike Hughes has died after launching himself into the air on a homemade rocket that later crash landed, possibly due to a parachute malfunction. He planned to launch himself in a rocket in August 2019. Hughes' death permanently affected the players on the field that day. 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. The rocket flew for 22 seconds after the last of the steam dissipated, but Mike never responded to radio communications. The day before the scheduled launch, I received a text from Waldo with a photo of the rocket already mounted on the launch rail. When the rocket cleared the rail, it shifted to the right, as if it had been hip-checked by an rogue air current. I shouldn't have been there to witness it. 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. His birth name was Michael Hughes. 2018 poll found that two percent of more than 10,000 respondents, watched the rocket launch on a livestream, Brian Walshe to Be Charged with Murder of His Missing Wife, Ron Jeremy Found Not Competent to Stand Trial in Serial Rape Case, The Genetic Mutation That Makes Kraken Covid So Contagious, The Boy Just Aint Smart': How Stephen A. Smith Overcame a Learning Disability to Become the Most Passionate Voice in Sports, Andrew Callaghan Apologizes: I've Always Taken No for an Answer as Far as Consent, Fall Out Boy Announce First Album in 5 Years, Share Love From The Other Side Video. Your newsletter signup did not work out. Something was always going wrong. Nature had given Hughes the heart of a 60-year-old man. Mike Huges died on 22 February 2020. Mad Mike Hughes just launched himself in a self-made steam-powered rocket and crash landed. Homepage / Uncategorized / mike hughes cause of death; mike hughes cause of death. Alaskas Arctic Waterways Are Turning a Foreboding Orange. All Rights reserved. The Movie. Im sure that many other flat-earthers will continue to revere Hughes as one of their own as they mourn his death. And luckily it didnt turn out that way for us that day.. I know he didnt believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick. Instead of Amboy, it would take place in a less remote spotwith cell phone service, hallelujah!eight miles south of Barstow. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes' family and friends during this difficult time. Not because I designed or built the rocket, and not because I belted him into the cockpit. Mike Hughes taking a break in August 2019 while prepping his rocket for a launch in the Mojave Desert. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [8], Hughes planned to again launch himself in a rocket on August 10, 2019,[17] but mechanical troubles postponed the launch. As freelance journalist Justin Chapman told NPR, the goal of such expeditions was not so much to prove that the earth was flat, as it was to bring attention to the Flat Earth cause. (A representative for Hughes also confirmed this in a statement to BuzzFeed, saying he did not actually believe in the theory and that we used flat Earth as a PR stunt. 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. But none of us are getting out of this world alive. 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. Then somebody muttered, You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the crash, there was no official announcement. Before her death, she got married to Franklin Delano Floyd, which made him put Michael in foster care. Email me with new blog posts by Danny Faulkner Blog: This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google I'm not much for authority or rules. Daredevil "Mad Mike" Hughes died during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket Saturday. [27][28], Hughes was the main focus of the 2019 documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth. He flipped over before reaching a cushion of tires but was unhurt. 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. There has never been another death on the field. A launch date was set for late February. [4] (@thisisrocketman). Although some of the steam went through the nozzle, much of it escaped to the left, propelling the rocket to the right as it came off the launch rail. [3] Although a public promoter of the flat Earth model, following his death his public relations representative said that Hughes had only used flat Earth as a PR stunt to acquire funding for his rockets. I love that ending, where he was able to be successful, Brusseau said. "[5] A fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the delay raised around $100 of its $10,000 goal. Indeed, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. I asked them if they had any idea how off-the-charts dangerous this was? But if Mike was going to be flying it, then I figured I ought to cover the event. For a sickening moment, I thought it might angle disastrously sideways, like a ballistic missile. I knew there were no backup systems. Fame and fortune? Mikes ground control crew radioed him to deploy one of the two backup parachutes installed on the rocket, but Mike never responded. He had intentions to built multiple rockets that fly into the outer space and take pictures of the entire Earth as a flat disc. And Ill always regret it. 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. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey". A self-taught engineer, Hughes was also a staunch flat-earther. Amboy ( population: 4 ) on famous Route 66 of this site constitutes acceptance of Affiliate. Mike never responded to radio communications was unhurt wires supporting the launch rail car was... Was building in an attempt to launch his homemade rocket ) and Mike at! & # x27 ; family and friends during this difficult time ) by Alex Wigglesworth Writer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes cause of death ; Mike Hughes & # x27 ; in! 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