Flat Earth News

What goes up must come down, as is said. I live very close to Amboy and hope this contraption does not flatten me or anyone else, not to mention the "pilot". Who knew that the 10 people who live in Amboy took limousines. It would, however, be fantastic if the rocket landed in the Amboy volcano.

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Self-taught-rocket-scientist-plans-to-launch-over-12370641.php

Update: Failure to Launch. "Mad" Mike was prevented from launching his steam powered contraption on Saturday as planned because the BLM said he lacked the proper permits. Government agencies are often criticised, often rightfully so, for their decisions, but in this case they seem to have made the correct one for all concerned.

Those who pal around with Cliven Bundy & co. surely must be planning a protracted battle against the BLM on behalf of this rocketman.

I suspect, from hearsay, the BLM people will find the Bundys before the Bundys find them. Comment on the rocketman: "I'm betting the only things he proves are that the Earth is hard and his rocket was capable of taking him all the way to the scene of the crash." I think he already knows this.

Al Bundy?

It's hard to imagine Al Bundy rounding up cattle .

DAREDEVIL 'MAD' MIKE HUGHES DEAD AT 64 ...Fatal Rocket Crash Landing

Well, he possed the courage of his convictions, however wrong. He 's not the first to succumb to the overwhelming power of gravity.

This is all baffling to me...really.
When some of this stuff pops up I just wonder=>
Why even care ??
Are these folks terminally bored ??
What positive changes might come to anyone's life knowing what the CORRECT shape of the planet is ??

No matter whether it is shaped like a pancake - a baseball or a hotdog, if one gets on a plane to go someplace, that is where the plane takes you, and;
None of us are likely visiting the space above this planet within our lifetimes so what does it matter ??
This looks to me to be about the same as arguing which between 2 known corrupt politicians is better/worse...so what if one sucks a bit less when they are BOTH crooked anyhow ??

Too silly I think and assuredly not worth dying about.

To my thinking, the scientific method, whether applied to the earth or any subject, is arguably the best mental tool at our disposal, a method that Mad Mike disdained, which likely was the cause of his own death. I think anyone with a basic grasp of rocket science or aeronautical engineering could have advised him that his project was destined for failure and would likely cause his death. It's too bad that Mad Mike, for whatever mental reasons, couldn't grasp the folly of his ways.

"Of course, Hughes could have just bought a Southwest Airline ticket to see the earth’s ever-so-slight curvature from 33,000 feet for a fraction of what he’s spent on his project. He also could have slept a little more soundly, knowing that he wasn’t about to put himself in perilous danger.

If the rocket sustains a structural failure at low altitude, the parachutes will be rendered useless. The in-flight G-forces alone could potentially knock Hughes out cold. If any part of the structure of the rocket happens to fail, it’s more than likely the craft will simply slam into the ground at an excessive speed.

I can’t overemphasize how dangerous a stunt like this really is, not only for the occupant of the rocket, but also the individuals on the ground. Without professional engineering, testing and redundancy, absolutely anything could happen. Except, of course, proving that the earth is flat."

Mad Mike could have benefitted from the expertise of someone like Katherine Johnson who passed away today and whose skills during her life helped to keep people alive.

Indeed:

And possibly the largest possible folly of all in this matter=> an inability to simply accept this bit of trivia...as trivia.

Perhaps his genuine (but unstated) goal was to earn a spot in the Darwin Awards ??
(Or to prove he was a relation of the coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons ??)

All of this story compares (IMO) with the silly notion of someone INSISTING to replace the crash test dummy in a simulated high speed crash of a small car vs. a 3 foot thick concrete wall;
The inevitable outcome would be obvious to the most casual of observers, presuming of course that they knew anything about cars, concrete and were over the age of about 5 years old.

Top 10 Spectator-on-hand Questions

  1. Shall we radio to Mad Mike about the parachute?
  2. The Nose Cone design includes a Crumple Zone, no?
  3. Anybody here a doctor?
  4. Make America Maybe Abolish Gravity Again?
  5. Where did Mad Mike keep the cat food?

Bueller?

Mad Mike's death in Barstow (Crossroads of Opportunity) achieved a sort of peculiar immortality on Twitter where he may forever be linked to the RoadRunner cartoons.

Meep Meep !!

ACME Chute seems loose
There's something wrong
Can you hear me Major Tom?