'Mad' Mike Hughes dies after crash-landing homemade rocket

[AsleepInYorkshire]

A US daredevil pilot has been killed during an attempted launch of a homemade rocket in the Californian desert.
"Mad" Mike Hughes, 64, crash-landed his steam-powered rocket shortly after take-off near Barstow on Saturday.

Mad Mike was attempting to prove the earth was flat

AiYn'U

[Braziers]

The Earth is round, but now Mad Mike is flat.

[kiloran]

I love the fact that it was a steam-powered rocket. Shades of Wallace and Gromit

--kiloran

[XFool]

I have to confess, it's the psychology/thinking of a Flat Earther that really fascinates me with this story.

- Why did he ever doubt it?
- Why was he unable to accept the words of others who have seen it?
- Why was he unable to accept the evidence of simple photographs, film/TV footage?
- Never mind all the other reasons going back more than 2,000 years!

[XFool]

I love the fact that it was a steam-powered rocket. Shades of Wallace and Gromit

I assume "steam-powered" means hydrogen peroxide + catalyst: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-test_peroxide#Applications

British experiments with HTP as a torpedo fuel were discontinued after a peroxide fire resulted in the loss of the submarine HMS Sidon (P259) in 1956.

Or hydrogen peroxide + combustible fuel, which was good enough for the British Black Knight project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Knight_(rocket)

Rather him than me!

[ReformedCharacter]

I love the fact that it was a steam-powered rocket. Shades of Wallace and Gromit

I assume "steam-powered" means hydrogen peroxide + catalyst: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-test_peroxide#Applications

British experiments with HTP as a torpedo fuel were discontinued after a peroxide fire resulted in the loss of the submarine HMS Sidon (P259) in 1956.

But the Russians carried on using it and lost the Kursk as a consequence.

RC

[AleisterCrowley]

I have to confess, it's the psychology/thinking of a Flat Earther that really fascinates me with this story.

- Why did he ever doubt it?
- Why was he unable to accept the words of others who have seen it?
- Why was he unable to accept the evidence of simple photographs, film/TV footage?
- Never mind all the other reasons going back more than 2,000 years!

And why build a manned rocket? Why not dangle a camera from a weather balloon as many have done. Or take a transatlantic flight

[servodude]

I have to confess, it's the psychology/thinking of a Flat Earther that really fascinates me with this story.

- Why did he ever doubt it?
- Why was he unable to accept the words of others who have seen it?
- Why was he unable to accept the evidence of simple photographs, film/TV footage?
- Never mind all the other reasons going back more than 2,000 years!

And why build a manned rocket? Why not dangle a camera from a weather balloon as many have done. Or take a transatlantic flight

I think the clue is in the question
I'm guessing that only first hand evidence would do for the poor guy; I wonder if he'd managed to work it out before he hit

- sd

[ursaminortaur]

I love the fact that it was a steam-powered rocket. Shades of Wallace and Gromit

I assume "steam-powered" means hydrogen peroxide + catalyst: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-test_peroxide#Applications

British experiments with HTP as a torpedo fuel were discontinued after a peroxide fire resulted in the loss of the submarine HMS Sidon (P259) in 1956.

But the Russians carried on using it and lost the Kursk as a consequence.

RC

No it was water heated to steam and there was no way a future version was going to get high enough.

https://www.sciencealert.com/mad-flat-earther-prepares-for-another-launch-in-his-homemade-rocket-but-he-s-unlikely-to-get-far

Hughes intends to use water as the fuel itself. The problem with water is that it does not boil quickly – it has a high specific heat capacity. This means it essentially takes too much energy to turn it into steam quickly enough to be able to generate a high thrust.

Moderator Message:
Copyright material clipped. You'll have to read the link - Gryffron

While Hughes' current launch attempt may well succeed, the chances of a rocket with a 30 cubic metre fuel tank full of water taking off is close to impossible.

[XFool]

More details, but so far no clear explanation of how his rocket actually operated:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hughes_(daredevil)

In 2016, Hughes launched a failed fundraising attempt for a rocket that earned $310.

More here from the Los Angeles Times:

Flat-Earther’s steam-powered rocket lofts him 1,875 feet up into Mojave Desert sky

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-rocket-man-blast-20180325-story.html

Above explains he was planning to use a combination of a balloon and rocket to get to a reported 68 miles up.

“My story really is incredible,” Hughes said. “It’s got a bunch of storylines — the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, plus the flat Earth. The problem is it brings out all the nuts also, people questioning everything. It’s the downside of all this.”

Way to go, Mike!

[Watis]

My first thoughts when I heard about this were:

- steam powered? Gonna need an awful lot of coal!

- 68 miles up? Better take an extra jumper and maybe some oxygen?

Watis