Mad Mike Hughes gained public attention after announcing that he would launch himself in a homemade rocket.
Failed Attempts
The self-taught rocket scientist first announced his plan to launch himself in a steam-powered rocket 1,800 feet high over a ghost town in California in November last year, but he canceled the feat, citing that he could not get permit from the Bureau of Land Management to launch on a public land.
The flat earther then promised another launch on Feb. 3. The big day, however, came and went, but Hughes and his rocket never took off.
A live stream from Noize TV could have captured Hughes launching himself up into the air aboard his homemade rocket. Instead, it showed 11 minutes of the rocket sitting still on the pad.
Technical Problem
The problem this time has nothing to do with getting permit from any federal agency. In a video statement, Hughes blamed technical problems for the failed launch. He explained that an issue with the actuator prevented the rocket from igniting and lifting off. He said that somebody can get underneath the rocket to fix it, but this would be dangerous.
"You can't get anyone underneath there — that thing will kill you, blow you apart," he said. "It'll scald you to death and blow the skin and muscle off your bones, OK? You'd be a skeleton and then it would probably blow you back around 50 foot."
It isn't yet clear when Hughes will launch his rocket again. The man appears determined to make another attempt, but it is unlikely that he will be able to do it early this week. He said that he needs to be present in court on Tuesday after suing several government officials in California.
"I'm gonna have them in prison by the end of the year," he said.
GoFundMe Campaign
Last month, Hughes launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $10,000 for his rocket launch. He described this as a wild stunt aimed at raising awareness for his plan to build a rocket that will launch him to space.
"This endeavor has cost me everything and I could use your help to offset some of the expenses such as an RV rental for the stay at Amboy, a crane rental for getting the rocket in place, gas, food, and emergency services," he wrote. "No one has EVER attempted this height before as a solo endeavor."
He has raised only $100.
