“Mad” Mike Hughes shot into the limelight last year after announcing plans to launch himself in a homemade rocket with sponsor "RESEARCH FLAT EARTH” painted on the side. Well, unfortunately for Mike and thousands of curious onlookers, the launch was ditched at the last moment due to unforeseen circumstances. Now, “Mad” Mike is back to conclude his 15 minutes of fame with a new launch date.
According to an announcement on his Facebook page, Hughes says he hopes to pull off a vertical rocket launch on February 3, at a new site in Amboy, a ghost town in California. The launch will be live-streamed on Noize TV for those with a subscription and will be filmed for Mike's own full-length documentary. If you were hoping to witness it for yourself, sorry but Mike is insisting no spectators.
“Any drone flying near the private property will be shot down – our own drones will be recording anyone filming and their license plates and the CHP will run people off along with my own security,” he said, in another Facebook post, which also came with the warning: “Also, some of the crazy comments [on Facebook] will be featured in my documentary.”
Hughes’ previous attempt was stopped by the US Bureau of Land Management who said he didn’t have the appropriate permission to launch himself in a rocket. The original plan was to launch himself in the steam-powered rocket at speeds of up to 800 kilometers per hour (500 miles per hour). Pretty impressively, Hughes said he build the rocket himself for just $20,000. By the looks of his latest social media posts, he has crafted a new rocket for this launch, the specifications of which are not clear.
Hughes – the so-called "last great daredevil" – is a 61-year-old limousine driver and stuntman who believes that the Earth is flat. The launch is intended to be a literal publicity stunt for this peculiar worldview and sets the path for future flat-Earthers to take to the skies in their quest to prove the globe is flat. (Spoiler: it isn't.)
Hughes, who describes his plan as "the ultimate Wile E. Coyote move,” and is also planning to run for governor of California admits the flat-Earth theory is a conspiracy but insists “Flat-earth divides people and that’s the last thing we need these days, more divided people."
“All I’m saying is people should look into it or investigate it, just like they should investigate and research everything in their lives,” he told the Philly Voice last week. “Research the post office. Look into everything. Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny. The Bush family. Research your City Council. That’s where they start stealing the money from you in the first place.”
Stay safe up there, Mike.