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Old 03-25-2018, 10:08 AM
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bat119 bat119 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: On the border in Lloydminster
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Default Self-taught rocket scientist 'Mad' Mike Hughes blasts off into California sky

'I'm tired of people saying I chickened out and didn't build a rocket... I manned up and did it'

He finally went up — just like the self-taught rocket scientist always pledged he would.
He came back down in one piece, too — a little dinged up and his steam-powered vessel a little cracked up.
Still, mission accomplished for a guy more daredevil than engineer, who drew more comparisons to the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote from his critics than he did to iconic stunt man Evel Knievel.
"Mad" Mike Hughes, the rocket man who believes the Earth is flat, propelled himself about 570 metres into the air Saturday before a hard landing in the Mojave Desert. He told The Associated Press that outside of an aching back he's fine after the launch near Amboy, California.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rocket-...rnia-1.4592170

Sometime after 3 p.m. PT, and without a countdown, Hughes' rocket soared into the sky.
Hughes reached a speed that Stakes estimated to be around 350 mph before pulling his parachute. Hughes was dropping too fast, though, and he had to deploy a second one. He landed with a thud and the rocket's nose broke in two places like it was designed to do.
"This thing wants to kill you 10 different ways," said Hughes, who had an altimeter in his cockpit to measure his altitude. "This thing will kill you in a heartbeat.
"Am I glad I did it? Yeah. I guess. I'll feel it in the morning. I won't be able to get out of bed. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight."
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