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Eugene

(61,813 posts)
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 10:07 AM Jan 2018

Rebuffed Flat Earth Rocketeer Says He Will Actually Launch Himself Into the Sky at 500 MPH This Time

Source: Gizmodo

Rebuffed Flat Earth Rocketeer Says He Will Actually Launch Himself Into the Sky at 500 MPH This Time

Tom McKay
Today 12:20am Filed to: FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU

When last we heard of “Mad Mike” Hughes, the 61-year-old limo driver and stuntman who planned on launching a $20,000 steam-fueled rocket with “RESEARCH FLAT EARTH” painted on the side some 1,800 feet into the air at 500 miles per hour, the gosh darn government had intervened to tell him he couldn’t conduct any such launch on public lands.

But Hughes has not been deterred, and in a number of posts on his Facebook page he claims to have a real launch planned for February 3rd. This one will be a vertical rather than horizontal launch, which Hughes believes will prevent him from crossing over into public property and thus getting in trouble with the government.

“That way we got enough buffer that when it lands, it will not be on (Bureau of Land Management) property,” Hughes said in a video last week.

-snip-

It’s still not entirely clear what Hughes intends to prove with the launch because, as LiveScience noted, observing the curvature of the Earth requires one rise some 35,000 feet (10,700 meters) above the ground. Hughes’ rocket will not be capable of attaining anywhere near that height, which is good because videos of his parachutes are far from reassuring.

-snip-


Read more: https://gizmodo.com/rebuffed-flat-earth-rocketeer-says-he-will-actually-lau-1822364177
38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Rebuffed Flat Earth Rocketeer Says He Will Actually Launch Himself Into the Sky at 500 MPH This Time (Original Post) Eugene Jan 2018 OP
I feel a Darwin Award is eminent. nt Javaman Jan 2018 #1
Might have to be a posthumous award. Cracklin Charlie Jan 2018 #5
The Darwin Award is only given posthumously. lagomorph777 Jan 2018 #6
Not always ... Whiskeytide Jan 2018 #12
Oh, I see. As long as the nominee removes themself from the gene pool somehow. lagomorph777 Jan 2018 #13
Darwin Awards are almost always posthumous The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2018 #28
Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! malaise Jan 2018 #9
Hey Mikey, Darwin's Waiting! ProfessorGAC Jan 2018 #2
It's not enough that people accuse him of being an idiot, he's determined to prove it. tanyev Jan 2018 #3
Congratulations in advance Mikey... yonder Jan 2018 #36
Have any of these Flat Earthers identified where the edge of the planet is? LonePirate Jan 2018 #4
Stop making sense! Cracklin Charlie Jan 2018 #8
The world is bounded by the continent of Antarctica muriel_volestrangler Jan 2018 #14
LOL! rusty fender Jan 2018 #38
Another Thought On That, Pirate ProfessorGAC Jan 2018 #15
No, we can't live on the other side: it's magnetic and struggle4progress Jan 2018 #17
Prove It! ProfessorGAC Jan 2018 #21
Your theory doesn't explain why socks disappear in the dryer struggle4progress Jan 2018 #22
Oh Yes It Does ProfessorGAC Jan 2018 #35
The earth can't be flat, otherwise cats would have shoved everything off it. The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2018 #30
The disc we live on is constantly moving upwards at a certain speed. Iggo Jan 2018 #33
Upward To Where? ProfessorGAC Jan 2018 #34
They don't say. Just up. (n/t) Iggo Jan 2018 #37
Look at you, with your fancy book-learnin' talk. Dave Starsky Jan 2018 #16
Cutter John at least had class and style. Roland99 Jan 2018 #7
Wimp. You can go faster than that. NCTraveler Jan 2018 #10
First Darwin award winner of 2018? workinclasszero Jan 2018 #11
35,000 ft? Get on a plane, dude: shanny Jan 2018 #18
The Airlines are in on it man underpants Jan 2018 #27
dude has the enginering skills to build a rocket ship...can't figure out the shape of the planet? BoneyardDem Jan 2018 #19
Come on, gravity, do your stuff gratuitous Jan 2018 #20
Seems like gravity has been working on him for some time Elwood P Dowd Jan 2018 #23
Ooh! Oooh! I know how it's going to turn out! Initech Jan 2018 #24
When it lands. Iggo Jan 2018 #25
good then we dont have to put up with him any more samnsara Jan 2018 #26
If the Earth was flat cats would have already knocked everything off the edge underpants Jan 2018 #29
Need a GIF of Coyote and Road Runner. louis-t Jan 2018 #31
... Orrex Jan 2018 #32

Whiskeytide

(4,459 posts)
12. Not always ...
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 11:22 AM
Jan 2018

... several recipients merely removed their ability to contribute genes by somehow losing their, uh... tenders.

Eg:

http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-07.html

I seem to recall a few others where they were blown or severed into qualifying for the award, but still lived on to enjoy the fame and fortune.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,592 posts)
28. Darwin Awards are almost always posthumous
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 01:09 PM
Jan 2018

because the recipient has removed himself from the gene pool. A few exceptions are granted to numpties who manage to shoot their junk off or otherwise geld themselves doing something stupid.

LonePirate

(13,408 posts)
4. Have any of these Flat Earthers identified where the edge of the planet is?
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 10:26 AM
Jan 2018

If it is flat, how far does the planet extend before it ends at its edge? Wouldn't it be easier to drive or sail to this edge? What happens if you try to cross this edge? Do you fall off into space? Are you prevented from moving forward due to constraints like the walls in The Truman Show? Flat Earthers should know the answers to these questions.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,270 posts)
14. The world is bounded by the continent of Antarctica
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 11:46 AM
Jan 2018

Here is an illustration from a book my great great grandfather wrote:



Not very legible, of course, but that's with zero degrees longitude going straight down from the middle - you can make out Africa mostly to the right of that, and South America at about "8 o'clock" across the South Atlantic from it.

This is the fairly typical flat-earther worldview.

If you try to cross the edge, you run into quotes from the bible.

ProfessorGAC

(64,852 posts)
15. Another Thought On That, Pirate
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 11:54 AM
Jan 2018

If it's flat and still had gravity to prevent us floating up into space, and we have oceans 7 miles deep, and oil wells 9 miles deep, wouldn't the earth actually be a 3 dimensional disk?

Wouldn't some people be able to live on the sides and on the flip side?

struggle4progress

(118,228 posts)
17. No, we can't live on the other side: it's magnetic and
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 12:13 PM
Jan 2018

it's stuck to a big refrigerator, so there's really no space there

DUH!

ProfessorGAC

(64,852 posts)
21. Prove It!
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 12:36 PM
Jan 2018

Since we're stuck on the flat side, we'll never know. You have your theory, i have mine! So there! Nyah!

Iggo

(47,534 posts)
33. The disc we live on is constantly moving upwards at a certain speed.
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 01:16 PM
Jan 2018

Voy-lay! Gravity!

Seriously.

That's their answer.

 

shanny

(6,709 posts)
18. 35,000 ft? Get on a plane, dude:
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 12:16 PM
Jan 2018

it's safer, cheaper and could actually provide the data you seek.

 

BoneyardDem

(1,202 posts)
19. dude has the enginering skills to build a rocket ship...can't figure out the shape of the planet?
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 12:16 PM
Jan 2018

Seems to belong in Trump's (anti-science) Cabinet.

Elwood P Dowd

(11,443 posts)
23. Seems like gravity has been working on him for some time
Wed Jan 24, 2018, 01:00 PM
Jan 2018

with his brain now firmly planted between his scrotum and his anus.

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