(single, married, in relation or divorce). In 2002, he had already set a Guinness Word Record as he jumped about 103 foot in at Lincon Car stretch Limo. Who makes jury-rig fixes at the eleventh hour when somebodys life is on the line? His mission was to launch his vesselto a height of 35,000-feet in an attempt to confirm his theory that the earth is flat. I knew there were no backup systems. [19][20] During launch, the rocket's parachute, which was designed for landing, appeared to deploy early and detach from the craft. They were really going to light the candle. Indeed, there is evidence that Hughes claimed to be a flat-earther as a publicity stunt. Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. The canopies shredded. He died on February 22, 2020, while filming a stunt for an upcoming Science Channel television series. Something was always going wrong. He postponed his launch due to mechanical troubles. [11] Hughes moved his launch pad 4 miles (6km) so that he could take off and land on private property, but the BLM maintained he still needed to fill out permits. I knew that sending Mike into space would be far more dangerous than launching the steam rocket. The more outlandish and provocative the content, the more interest, and hence more views. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. Mike Hughes started to gain the limelight after setting a Guinness world record holder for jumping 103-foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. Hughes' death was confirmed by Waldo Stakes, a longtime collaborator of the stunt man, and a representative of The Science Channel which is part of Discovery and had been following Hughes' rocket mission for their new show Homemade Astronauts. [11][12] There was no video of Hughes entering the rocket and there were doubts that he was in it when it launched. So it was possible to indulge in some magical thinking and imagine that maybe, against all odds, Mike might be able to emerge from the cockpit reasonably unscathed. Coronavirus Is Spreading And So Are the Hoaxes and Conspiracy Theories Around It. While that landing was hard, Hughes said that he received no serious injuries. I think thats what hit us then and there: this is completely dangerous. Rare Fugazi Live Footage Stitched Into New Movie to Screen One Night Only in Washington D.C. A$AP Rocky Wonders How to Break Violent Cycles in Hip-Hop on Tribute Single Same Problems', Adi Oasis Channels High Fashion and Euphoria in Video for Ovulation Anthem Multiply. Mikes ground control crew radioed him to deploy one of the two backup parachutes installed on the rocket, but Mike never responded. The mood was upbeat and anticipatory, not unlike the crowd assembled for a rock music festival, but without the weed. Famously known as Mad Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. Death. In 2017, Mike and Waldo trucked a new rocket deep into the Mojave Desert to a barren stretch of land near the tiny Route 66 outpost of Amboy. I also wondered if Hughes was serious about the earth being flat; assuming he was, I thought about the implications of his death when it came. A now-viral video shared on Twitter by journalist Justin Chapmanshowed the daredevils fatal mishap, but the details of what exactly went wrong were obscure until now. Before joining the newsroom in 2016, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry, successfully launched himself in a rocket nearly 1,900 feet in the air, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? Thats reasonable, Mike said. Hughes was officially pronounced dead at 5:34 p.m. An autopsy revealed that he had died of acute coronary thrombosis, brought on by premature hardening of the arteries. On Saturday, he was working on to launch a self made rocket for a new science series called Homemade Astronauts and he was going to be featured on TV show on Discoverys Science Channel. Although some of the steam went through the nozzle, much of it escaped to the left, propelling the rocket to the right as it came off the launch rail. Freelance journalist Justin Chapman is writing a book about Hughes, and was at the final launch in the desert outside Barstow, Calif. "There were about 50 spectators there," Chapman said. RIP Mike Hughes This was in Amboy. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. He launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket in 2016. He died while attempting to his homemade rocket in Amboy, California. Video of the tragic accident, which took place in Barstow, California, was captured by reporter Justin Chapman. Its not clear what went wrong. Mike wanted to build the rocket himself, he said. His birth name was Michael Hughes. Known by his name Mad or Daredevil American stuntman Mad Mike Hughes died at the age of 64. Create a free family tree for yourself or for Michael Hughes and we'll search for valuable new information for you. Even an itinerant desert rat and amateur snake expert who answered to the name King Daddy Master. According to CBC News, Hughes collapsed after the landing and it took him three days to recover. He had intentions to built multiple rockets that fly into the outer space and take pictures of the entire Earth as a flat disc. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time For shame on you all. Mike's rocket on the truck bed used for transport. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes family and friends during this difficult time, a spokeswoman for the network said in a statement. After years of close calls, the 64-year-old Hughes met his end Saturday when he was killed during the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry outside Barstow. Four months later, after several launches were aborted, there was a successful flight (followed by another brutal landing that left Mike pissing into a bottle for three days because he couldnt make it to the bathroom). Hughes said afterward, Am I glad I did it? Cross-court! shell shout at the screen. He self-made rockets, which he planned to fly into the outer space to prove flat-Earth conspiracy theories. Likewise Mike Hughes' tragic death. Help us share the truth of Gods Word and the gospel! When the superheated water is released, it passes through a nozzle at the base of the fuselage and turns to steam, producing the thrust necessary to launch the rocket. 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Yet Hughes became one of the faces of the Flat Earth cause regardless, garnering widespread media attention and appearing in a segment on the Comedy Central showTosh.0. Hughes was always planning his next stunt, with each one taking him higher than the last. So the carnival headed back to Amboy last summer. Some people just get perverse delight out of fooling people into believing something absurd. Waldo Stakes who was working on the same project as a colleague of Mad Mike also confirmed that It was Unsuccessful and he passed away However he further refused to made any statements of comments on this regard. If those people promoting a flat earth for profit and dont believe the earth is flat had any decency, I would hope the death of Mike Hughes would cause them to stop. The 64-year-old American daredevil and flat Earth cons This was ideal for WoW, which needed some action to film. Mike preparing for the August 2018 launch attempt. He was treated for heat exhaustion. Some undoubtedly do it for pleasure. He was quite the celebrity among that flat-earthers at that meeting. CHUTE! Chute. Hughes and Stakes were one of three teams that working to get as close to space, or the Karman line, the invisible line which is 62 miles (99.78 km) above Earths surface that is often thought of as the beginning of space., Hughes was known for attempting to blast off in a rocket that was made using mostly spare parts and during a launch in March 2018, he needed to deploy his parachute after making it a half-mile into the sky. The day before the scheduled launch, I received a text from Waldo with a photo of the rocket already mounted on the launch rail. Then we waited anxiously for Mike to deploy the parachutes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Waldo walked back from the crash, looking grim. His launch was reportedly filmed as part of Homemade Astronauts, a new TV series about amateur rocket makers. "Storm Chasers" stars Matt Hughes has died at the age of 30 after committing suicide. Thats the way daredevils die.. He was 64. I could run for president. He died following his rocket crash-landing in the open desert in California on 22 February 2020. Why didnt we turn away? Mike, along with Waldo Strakes, built a homemade steam-powered rocket whose intention was to fly 5000 feet in the year. A representative of Mad Mike has explained what went wrong during the daredevils fatal rocket launch last month. You're almost done! I listened skeptically as Waldo sketched out the scenario in the wood-paneled living room of Mikes small, dark, sparsely furnished house, while four cats slinked shamelessly over the sofa and coffee table. Daredevil, Is Killed in Rocket Crash", "NEWS: 'Flat Earth' Daredevil Dies in Homemade Rocket Stunt", "Death Valley Girls Share Video for "(One Less Thing) Before I Die", "Death Valley Girls - "(One Less Thing) Before I Die" Video", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Hughes_(daredevil)&oldid=1134002496, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 14:50. It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. Waldo told me a generator was down on power. He later changed his schedule to 2 December 2017. Science Channel gave this a platform, read one tweet. [1] He said in November 2017 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had given him verbal permission more than a year prior to launch his rocket, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. (Jessica Shuster) By Alex Wigglesworth Staff Writer Feb. 24, 2020 5 AM PT In. Your newsletter signup did not work out. Famously known as "Mad" Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. [8], In 2016, Hughes launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket that raised $310. Already Ive seen some flat-earthers claim that nefarious agents of the government sabotaged and hence assassinated Hughes. And what was the point? [8], At the time of his death, Hughes lived in Apple Valley, California. Fame and fortune? Nature had given Hughes the heart of a 60-year-old man. He was 64. I didnt join them. I could run for governor and be a shoo-in. Since then, Ive read long, dry obituaries in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Chute! After Mikes death, Science Channel mourn with condolence by saying, Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes family and friends during this difficult time. A Philadelphia native, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medical anthropology and global health. Hughes famously launched himself nearly 1,900 feet upward in a homemade steam-powered rocket early in 2018. The duo Mike and Waldo Stakes was working on the self built steam powered rocket to reach at 5000 feet approx 1.5 km in the air while riding in it. Rain was in the forecast, but the morning dawned sunny and brisk. [4], In 2002, Hughes set a Guinness World Record with a 103-foot (31m) jump in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine. Hughes' death permanently affected the players on the field that day. Robbie Kneivel, who spent his life in the family business of defying death, passed away on Friday after a fight with pancreatic cancer By Laurenz Busch - January 13, 2023 Robbie Knievel, who. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on . Dust and sand fill the air as the rocket launches into the sky, and as the ship veers sharply to one side, a yellow and purple parachute can be seen falling off the vessel and floating down to Earth, surrounded by smoke from the rockets steam-powered engine. This is particularly true of those in the flat-earth movement who arent serious about the earth being flat. Question what your congressman is doing, your city council. Mike Hughes was born in Barstow, California, in 1955. A freelance journalist named Justin Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash. According to a journal published in. He had said he intended to make multiple rocket journeys, culminating in a flight to outer space, where he believed he would be able to take a picture of the entire Earth as a flat disc. In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time [8], Hughes planned to again launch himself in a rocket on August 10, 2019,[17] but mechanical troubles postponed the launch. Despite the coverage Hughes efforts attracted, he was a highly divisive figure within the Flat Earth community. Progress ceased when Mike was arrested and jailed for extortion, but work resumed after a benefactor bailed him out. This time around, Mike had generated buzz by claiming that he believed the Earth was flat, and he raised money by spinning the flight as an experiment to prove it. His publicist, Darren Shuster, said Saturday that the flat Earth thing was a PR stunt we dreamed up to get publicity and attract sponsors for the rockets that the self-taught engineer made in his garage at his home in Apple Valley, Calif. When Waldo scampered clear, I repositioned myself behind an EMS van for protection. Although Mike was a fine fabricator and an excellent mechanic, he knew nothing about rocketry, and he was constantly running up against his technical limitations. Dramatic video footage of the botched stunt posted on social media appears to indicate that there was a problem with his parachute. I know he didnt believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick. He said that my suggestion was tantamount to auto manufacturers being responsible for car accidents. Daredevil and Amateur rocket-engineer, Mike Hughes died aged 64 on the 22nd of February 2020. Hughes famously launched himself nearly 1,900 feet upward in a homemade steam-powered rocket early in 2018. Chute. He died following his steam-powered rocket crash-landing an open desert in Barstow, California. As freelance journalist Justin Chapman told NPR, the goal of such expeditions was not so much to prove that the earth was flat, as it was to bring attention to the Flat Earth cause. (A representative for Hughes also confirmed this in a statement to BuzzFeed, saying he did not actually believe in the theory and that we used flat Earth as a PR stunt. Mike Hughes taking a break in August 2019 while prepping his rocket for a launch in the Mojave Desert. Famously known as Mad Mike Hughes, the daredevil rocket-maker died while attempting to blast himself into the sky on February 22, 2020, according to TMZ. He raised only $310. A freelance journalist named Justin Chapman and his wife witnessed this crash. On Saturday, February 22, Mike Hughes, aka Mad Mike Hughes, died in the crash of his homemade rocket. Finally, Waldo and several of Mikes friends began walking toward the wreckage. A heater core leaked. Very likely did not survive. The rocket appeared to rub against the launch apparatus, which might have torn the parachutes attached to it, according to Justin. Its over, stalwart team member Danny Bern added. This story has been shared 114,809 times. Then somebody muttered, You dont survive that., Although paramedics hustled to the crash, there was no official announcement. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Gina Lollobrigida, film star who conquered Italy, Hollywood and the world, dies at 95, Storm sets new L.A. rain records. It featured the homemade rocket engineers on their mission to prove that the Earth was flat, and shaped like a frisbee. Question what really happened during the Civil War. He set a Guinness world record in 2002 when he jumped 103 foot in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limo. A self-taught engineer, Hughes was also a staunch flat-earther. I helped to kill him. Hence more views 5000 feet in the year DIY rockets, which might have torn the parachutes attached it! 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