The Story That Went Around the Globe
“Mad” Mike Hughes, 62, a limousine driver from Apple Valley, Calif., doesn’t believe Earth is a sphere. “Do I believe the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee? I believe it is,” he said. “Do I know for sure? No. That’s why I want to go up in space.” And he built a rocket to launch himself. After several months of delays, he successfully launched himself over the Mojave Desert in a home-made steam-propelled rocket. He landed hard: “I’ll feel it in the morning. I won’t be able to get out of bed.” Still, Hughes brags, “My story really is incredible. It’s got a bunch of story lines: the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. Plus the Flat Earth. The problem is, it brings out all the nuts also.” So, did he “prove” Earth is flat? Well, no: Hughes, who has previously said “I don’t believe in science,” only launched to about 1,875 feet in altitude, or 0.57 km, well short of “space,” which is generally considered to start at 100 km (62 miles) above sea level. He plans to improve his rocket and try, try again. (RC/AP) ...So he’s more Wile E. Coyote than Elon Musk.Author’s Note: The tagline was more prescient than even I thought: his next launch, in February 2020, was recorded by a TV crew. As the $18,000 steam-powered vehicle shoots into the sky, something flutters away from the rocket: its parachute, which Hughes really needed. Once the rocket ran out of steam, it came right back to Earth, slamming into the desert floor near Barstow, California, at full speed. Total flight time: just under 20 seconds. Hughes was 64.
Original Publication Date: 25 March 2018
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
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