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Space Earth Idle

Flat Earther Now Wants to Launch His Homemade Rocket Into Space (phillyvoice.com) 151

Posted by EditorDavid from the rocketman dept.
At a flat-earth conference in May, Mad Mike Hughes will announce details of "an Antarctic expedition with the goal of reaching the edge of the world...to prove once and for all that this Earth is flat." But before that, he's heading for outer space.

An anonymous reader quotes PhillyVoice: If you recognize the name Mad Mike Hughes, it's likely because he strapped himself into a rocket last March and traveled three-tenths of a mile into the heavens in the name of Flat Earth awareness. (See for yourself!) Well, nearly a year to the date after that momentous achievement, the limousine-driving daredevil and gubernatorial candidate has announced he's building upon the lessons learned last year and pushing the limits even further...

We caught up with him Thursday afternoon on the phone from California where he was "putting decals on the rocket right now!" Before any sort of Antarctica excursion, he's planning for a May 9 launch either in New Mexico "or the middle of the ocean if the government tries to stop me..." He hopes to reach the Kármán line, some 62.8 miles above Earth where space begins. "That way, we'll see what shape this rock really is," he said.

"More people will watch this than those who watched the fake moon landing. It will be an incredible, incredible event. People will see what I'm seeing for three hours up there and back and they'll be able to make up their own minds.... I'm the only guy capable of actually proving what shape this rock is, and that's by going up into space to do it."
The Science Channel is now filming Hughes' progress. (Here's a slick trailer for an upcoming documentary called "Rocketman".)

And Hughes says he's also claimed the legal entities that famous people are operating under, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Warren Buffett, putting these powerful people in a precarious position because now "they can't even exist..."

"I have a lot of court cases going on."
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Flat Earther Now Wants to Launch His Homemade Rocket Into Space More

Flat Earther Now Wants to Launch His Homemade Rocket Into Space

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  • "Science Channel" (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Ironic name for a channel considering they're devoted to crackpot conspiracy theories like flat Earth

    • In this case it is more about the journey instead of the outcome, which is sort of like 'wherever you go, there you are.'

      • In this case it is more about the journey instead of the outcome

        On the contrary, the outcome is all that matters to him and has already been determined. No matter what happens on his flight, he will proclaim that it demonstrates how the earth is flat.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          You have no idea what you're talking about. If he actually makes it anywhere NEAR space, he's a dead man.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          > the outcome is all that matters to him

          No. The only thing that matters to him is raising the money that flat earthers will send him.

          Flat earthers don't actually care about the shape of the earth, they only care that it is not some random spinning rock going around an insignificant star in the backwater of one of many galaxies, because that would prove that their god does not exist.

          They want to be in a special place, or the only place, at the center of the universe, because that will prove that their bib

  • It was a water rocket.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rhipf ( 525263 )

      Saying that is a water rocket isn't a rocket is a bit disingenuous. Just because it uses water as a propellant doesn't mean it isn't a rocket.

      The fact that a water rocket won't get you very high off the earth is a valid point though.

  • best case scenario (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Best case scenario if everything goes exactly as he describes it (and the whole operation isn't a fifteen-minutes-of-fame grift, which it is), the only flat-earther whose mind will be changed is his, as all of the rest on the ground won't believe the any fake news video or pictures that he get from this.

    • My money is on him heading south until the guardians of the Round Earth Conspiracy start remotely messing with his compass, causing it to spin around randomly and keep pointing at the same spot in the middle of nowhere until he finally gives up and goes home.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gtall ( 79522 )

        My money is on a Darwin award. Personally, I'm looking for a flambe soaring majestically before a final ka-boom.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by _merlin ( 160982 )

      I don't think he's really a flat-earther at all. He was already doing daredevil stunts before he started talking about flat earth conspiracy theories, he just dind't get anywhere near the attention and funding. He's just pretending to be a flat-earther so other people will fund his hobby.

  • Ooooh, it is round... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Stolpskott ( 2422670 ) on Saturday April 13, 2019 @04:44PM (#58432840)

    So, he goes up to space, sees that the edge of the world is not a straight line, and that the earth curves. So to maintain his "flat earth" delusion, he will come back and announce that the earth is actually a flat plate?
    Aside from the fact that I would *never* wish harm on another human being, I really hope that when he lands, he does not land on his head. There is probably not much inside it to be damaged, but it might leave a sizeable crater.

    • So to maintain his "flat earth" delusion, he will come back and announce that the earth is actually a flat plate?

      I bet the crew will be silenced by other flat earthers, that will say that all was a part of a conspiracy... :P

    • My prediction is the rocket fails spectacularly and then he's martyred when the flat earthers decide the government had him killed.

      Maybe elon or somebody will feel sorry for him and let him ride in a real rocket, lol.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by HiThere ( 15173 )

        Judging by his last "attempt", he'll get fairly high, but not that high, in his rocket before some mechanical problem causes a spectacular failure that he survives unhurt.

        • No, judging by his last attempt, he'll fail miserably, it will still be widely reported without good cause, and the same idiots who believe him now will still be idiots and still believe this garbage.

        • before some mechanical problem causes a spectacular failure that he survives unhurt.

          No. He'll keep trying until it shoots way up, malfunctions, and blows himself up, which then starts the conspiracy theory that NASA / NSA / The Amalgamated Globe Makers of America had him killed so that he wouldn't be able to expose the truth.

          I do have a question for them, though. The Earth is flat, right? So we all live on the surface, or the top in other words. That means we can double the Earth's living space by finding the edge and colonization the bottom ... right?? Or is the Earth sitting on so

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mark-t ( 151149 )

      Well yes.... that's what most flat earthers have always said... that the earth is round, but like a coin or plate, and not a ball. With the north pole at the center of the plate, and the area that is supposedly Antarctica being at the perimeter.

      So no... he won't have to move the goalposts of his argument at all.

      Of interest, however, is the angle at which the edge of the earth will appear relative to purely horizontal, and that to maintain the geographic distances we know can be measured, it will have

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        Well yes.... that's what most flat earthers have always said... that the earth is round, but like a coin or plate, and not a ball. With the north pole at the center of the plate, and the area that is supposedly Antarctica being at the perimeter.

        Really? All you have to do to prove that theory wrong is measure the amount of time it takes for a boat or aircraft to travel from various locations to various other locations. The fact that it does not take a hundred times longer to sail between the tip of Africa

        • Have flat-earth people never been in an aeroplane?
          I have, and I could see the curve of the Earth for myself. Maybe they should just go on a plane trip somewhere.

          • Commercial airplanes fly about 35,000 feet.

            So: no, you did not see any earth curvation.

        • All you have to do to prove that the flat Earth theory is wrong is watch a sunset, while talking to a buddy who's watching a sunrise at the same time.

        • Why are you trying to confuse these oppressed truth seekers with your fancy words? They can see right through that ploy.

    • I doubt any evidence will convince him - there is already a preponderance of evidence that the earth is spherical. The Netflix documentary on flat-earthers showed this well.

      A few more technically minded flat-earthers decided to show that the earth was flat by very accurately measuring the distance between the top and bottom of two vertical towers. As you would expect they found that the tops were slightly further apart than the bases. However, instead of being convinced that there was a problem with the

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        I doubt any evidence will convince him - there is already a preponderance of evidence that the earth is spherical. The Netflix documentary on flat-earthers showed this well.

        A few more technically minded flat-earthers decided to show that the earth was flat by very accurately measuring the distance between the top and bottom of two vertical towers. As you would expect they found that the tops were slightly further apart than the bases. However, instead of being convinced that there was a problem with the fla

    • Despite you refraining from wishing harm, this guy is gonna die by his own stupidity.

  • A fail will not change their beliefs (Score:3)

    by fbobraga ( 1612783 ) on Saturday April 13, 2019 @04:45PM (#58432848) Homepage
    I recommend this documentary: https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/27... [metro.co.uk]

  • An antarctic expedition? (Score:3)

    by Chris Mattern ( 191822 ) on Saturday April 13, 2019 @04:46PM (#58432852)

    Maybe we'll get lucky and the shoggoths will eat him.

  • Just how is that going to work ? There's no way to launch without accounting for the velocity of the Earth spinning.

    Just what conceptual framework is he using for flat earth ? Is it meant to be a rapidly spinning disc ? why aren't people just hurled off when they get to the edges then ?

    This should be absolutely hilarious

    • Sure there is - launch with enough energy to make it to orbit if the Earth were standing still, and you'll get there without any trouble. At least so long as you launch to the east.

  • Why not a balloon? (Score:3)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Saturday April 13, 2019 @04:53PM (#58432880)

    Seems like it would be more logical to just use a high altitude balloon to go to the edge of space where you would either hit the edge of a dome or see the curvature of the Earth (while asphyxiating). Why deal with the complexities of a rocket?

    Then again, he does think the Earth is flat.

    • Re:Why not a balloon? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Immerman ( 2627577 ) on Saturday April 13, 2019 @05:04PM (#58432922)

      I think it's more a matter of a DIY rocket enthusiast catering to flat-earthers in order to fund his hobby. Fools and their money and all that.

      • Re: Why not a balloon? (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        This was already proven the first time this guy was mentioned on Slashdot because they found old blog/forum posts from this guy basically saying "I of course believe that the earth is a sphere, but, you know, those flat earthers have some interesting theories.." and all his other posts were about his dream to be a dare-devil and fly on rockets.

        He only went whole hog on the flat earth thing when he realized how much publicity and funding he was starting to get and it's actually working so perhaps he's not th

    • I'm not 100% sure, but I think this guy just likes to do stupid expensive things. And by attaching himself to the flat earth movement, he found a funding stream for his hobby.

  • will announce details of "an Antarctic expedition with the goal of reaching the edge of the world...to prove once and for all that this Earth is flat.

    One man already went, but because he fell off, didn't live to tell about it.

  • It is the individuals that drive me bonkers.

  • Those in the ISS have turned SMFH into an legitimate exercise because of this shit.

    Flat Earthers; Making our astro/cosmonauts stronger every day.

  • ... but what if he lands on the other side of the disk?
    • Disks have two sides. Half of the surface of the earth, with continents, oceans, etc., could be on the other surface of the disk from which one lives. We just haven't dug a hole deep enough to find the other side of the disk, so if you want to get to the other side, you must go the edge of the disk. Not a flat earther here.

  • There goes three minutes of my life I can’t get back. Why do we waste time on imbeciles like this? Just ignore him, he’ll still get an audience at the local bar and be happy about it.

  • The basket ball player? He has the millions to do something stupid like this
  • By flat feathers trying this. Just do a search of youtube and previous attempts. How many times do they have to be proven wrong.

    Funny thing is, I found that information by trying to find a recording of the hillbillies and Jethro launching himself strapped to a rocket

  • His goal is to send an unvaccinated astronaut in his ship Green New Deal high enough above Earth to circle the south polar region, getting images above the ice wall at the edge of the world in a rocket freshly stickered with No GMO and No Nukes decals. A successful mission would return pictures of the turtles that our planetary disk is resting on.

    Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) tweeted his best wishes for the mission. "My aunt keeps telling me that 'if the Earth were flat like that bartender lady claims, cats woul

  • He's going to look for the edge in Antarctica, because that is where it's drawn... By the same people who say the earth is round?

    If you wanted to hide the location why would you draw it right there on a map?

    • It's hard to refute international flights that go over the North Pole constantly. So that had to be the middle.

  • give 5 minutes publicity to this mentally ill asshole?

    • The question is, is he mentally ill, or is he a rocket enthusiast who found a bunch of people dumb enough to give him money if he gave flat Earth theory some lip service?

  • Why is /. even discussing this bullshit?

  • He sounds like Trump.
    People should say the same of Trump: stop feeding him attention.

  • I love crazy sonsabitches like this They make the world a better place.

    "I have a lot of court cases going on."

    I knew a guy like this once. He was a chemist with a PhD and a good job and one day he asked me if I would read his manuscript. It was a 400 page "theory of everything" based on the shapes of numbers and dark matter and klein bottles and some kabbalah-level code that was the most insane thing I'd ever seen short of the Voynich Manuscript. Here was a functioning guy, who cleaned himself, went to

    • Anyone here remember Ludwig Plutonium? He was all over the early Internet with his delusions he called "theories".

  • Why does this crackpot need to go to Antarctica? If the Earth were flat, you could travel in any direction and find an edge.

    Better question: Why do we spend so much time talking about this stupid shit?

  • Congratulations to you Mad Mike. In our current social media world there is so much noise as everyone shouts their ideas into the void in order to attract attention; however like a bird in spring with a perfect voice you have reached a level of lunacy which lets you rise about the white noise threshold of crazy. The saddest thing ... you are probably not crazy at all, just using this as a strategy to become (in)famous and profit from it.

  • Is he ignorant, stupid, amoral, or very clever and just milking the system for all it's worth?

    I blame antisocial media for elevating stupidity to an art form and for turning people who should be ignored into celebrities.

  • Maybe he should just stay there. Or maybe he could even take some of other "disciples" with him. Please stay there for as long as you want. Marvel at the beautiful, blue, *round* planet. :)

  • He'd better not go too high, he might bump up against the ceiling!

  • these poor misguided people are giving this assclown money to prove something when, in reality, theyre funding his desire for adrenaline rushes and media attention. his first rocket 'test' couldve been achieved in a helicopter or cessna but chose to strap himself to a rocket. hes just a daredevil. now he wants to go to space and then do an expedition in antarctic.. nothing daredevilish about any of that. im surprised he doesnt get them to fund a climb up everest. i think hes operating on a level of brillia

  • I've always wanted to suggest an experiment to flat earthers. Take 3 ships to the Antarctic ring. (Is that what they's call it?) Equip the ships with beacons so they can tell the distance and direction between them. Just in case there is some curvature to the earth go with short wave instead of something that requires line of sight. (The illuminati might try to block the signal that way.)

    Send two of the boats in opposite directions following the shore of the Antarctic ring. Park the 3rd boat at the e

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