Mike Hughes, a 61-year-old Limo driver and part-time ‘mad’ scientist, has decided to launch over the ghost town of Amboy, California on his home-made rocket this Saturday.
Hughes, who is a firm believer that scientists have been making fools of humans into convincing them that the earth is round, is determined to ‘see’ for himself and prove them wrong. According to Washington Post, this will mark the first phase of his ambitious flat-Earth space program.
Hughes plans to launch himself 1,800 feet high and fly for about a mile at a speed of roughly 500 mph. According to Associated Press, his project cost him about $20,000. It includes Rust-Oleum paint to fancy up the rocket and a motor he bought on Craigslist, which he converted into a ramp.
On Saturday morning, Hughes will heat about 70 gallons of water in a stainless steel tank and then blast off between 2 pm and 3 pm. When he reaches about 1,800 feet, he aims to pull the two parachutes and fly down to safety.
If you’re not scared to death, you’re an idiot. It’s scary as hell, but none of us are getting out of this world alive.Mike Hughes
“I like to do extraordinary things that no one else can do, and no one in the history of mankind has designed, built and launched himself in his own rocket,” he added.
This is actually the second time he has built and launched his own rocket. In January, 2014, he had jumped on a private property in Winkelman, Arizona and traveled 1,374 feet. The landing wasn’t smooth, he collapsed due to the G-forces taking a toll and needed spent two weeks on bed-rest.
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Hughes is an active member of the ‘Flat-Earth Community’, a group of people who believe that the earth being round theory is a conspiracy put forth by the ‘free-masons’. Hughes, has taken it upon himself, to expose and counteract this ‘conspiracy’ with his steam-powered rocket, which will launch from a heavily modified mobile home. The launch will take place on an air strip next to a dilapidated hangar.
To Albert Okura, the owner of the ghost-town Amboy, Hughes’ proposal to launch over it in his home-made, scrap-metal formed rocket was so outrageously incredible, that he couldn’t help but give his permission and wish to be a part of it.
It is absolutely the most wacky promotional proposal I have had since I purchased the entire town in 2005. He is a true daredevil and I want to be part of it.Okura, who’s also the founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain, told AP
If this project works successfully, and Hughes lives to tell the tale, he is planning on working on the second project which he believes will prove the earth is flat- which will include an excursion into space.
The rocket he builds for this project, that AP reports will be called “Rockoon,” is one where instead of being immediately ignited while on the ground, it is carried into the atmosphere by a gas-filled balloon, then separated from the balloon and lit. According to Hughes’ calculation, this will take him about 68 miles up.
I want to inspire others — and you have to do something incredible to get anybody’s attention.Mike Hughes
For safety reasons, authorities are discouraging Hughes to broadcast his launch on public channels, but it will reportedly be televised on his personal YouTube channel .
Hughes also said he’s been in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management.
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(With inputs from Washington Post and AP)
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