“Mad” Mike Hughes shot into
the limelight last year after announcing plans to launch himself in a homemade
rocket with sponsor, of course, "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.
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.)
Mad Mike Hughes, who
describes his plan as "the ultimate Wile E. Coyote move,” and is also currently
planning to run for the next governor of California openly admits the
flat-Earth theory is a conspiracy but he also insists “Flat-earth divides
people and that’s the last thing we need these days, more divided people."
So yeah you read that right.
“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.
Via IFLScience