On Saturday flat earther and daredevil “Mad Mike” Hughes was killed when a homemade rocket he was testing crashed.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes’ family and friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey,” the Science Channel said in a released statement.
Hughes had built the homemade rocket with a crew and scheduled its launch for a new show on the Science Channel series called “Homemade Astronauts.”
Hughes built the steam-powered rocket with Waldo Stakes. The intent with the rocket launch was to get Hughes 5,000 feet in the air. The duo hoped to develop a rocket that would launch Hughes 62 miles into the air to where the Earth’s atmosphere meets outer space.
The crash took place off of Highway 247 in Barstow, California on Saturday. Hughes was pronounced dead after the rocket crashed in the open desert. The San Bernardino sheriff’s aviation unit is still investigating.
Video from the tragedy was filmed by Justin Chapman, The video shows the steam-powered rocket’s parachute accidentally deploying moments after the rocket is launched. The rocket continued its journey skyward, but without a parachute to slow its descent. It appears, Hughes, 64, was killed on impact.
Hughes was well-known in the Flat Earth community. He believed that the Earth is frisbee shaped and he hoped to prove the earth was flat with his steam-powered rocket.
“I believe in the geocentric Flat Earth model. I’m not gonna take anyone else’s word for it, I’m gonna build my own rocket right here and see it with my own eyes, what shape this world we live on,” Hughes said in a trailer for the documentary.
