'Mad Mike' wasn't trying to prove 'flat Earth' theory on ill-fated homemade rocket launch

[Admin]

Following the tragic death of 'Mad' Mike Hughes, we revisit the real reasons why he launched himself into the air aboard his homemade steam rocket, knowing how risky the stunt was.

'Mad Mike' wasn't trying to prove 'flat Earth' theory on ill-fated homemade rocket launch : Read more

 

[wxman2003]

He may have not believed the earth was round, but he proved that the laws of physics are valid. He gets the Darwin award.

View: https://media.giphy.com/media/RKrJIIxY7hcha/giphy.gif

 

[Alien8]

His demise was inevitable, not very bright people have a tendency to kill themselves. Fortunately, he didn't take anyone else with him.

 

[Hari]

Tributes rightly for Katherine Johnson while Hughes is mocked. He just wanted to go higher and faster then the rest of us and paid the price. Preferable than dying in a hospital bed from old age.

 

[tcumming]

I think the article made a good point.

If Mad Mike wanted to prove the earth was flat, all he had to do was send up a camera. He didn't have to send himself up.

 

[Lobo]

He gets the Darwin award.

He is survived by two kids, and was age 64 anyway.

His demise was inevitable, not very bright people have a tendency to kill themselves. Fortunately, he didn't take anyone else with him.

The vast majority of not very bright people will live into old age. And it doesn't make sense to label as "not very bright" someone who was capable of building and launching rockets big enough to carry a person. The term "rocket scientist" is used to describe highly intelligent people for a reason. Rocketry is dangerous business, no matter how intelligent you are.

 

[abstractnotions]

There is some evidence, however, for flat Mike theory.

 

[wxman2003]

Tributes rightly for Katherine Johnson while Hughes is mocked. He just wanted to go higher and faster then the rest of us and paid the price. Preferable than dying in a hospital bed from old age.

One was very intelligent, the other was not.

 

[Alien8]

He is survived by two kids, and was age 64 anyway.



The vast majority of not very bright people will live into old age. And it doesn't make sense to label as "not very bright" someone who was capable of building and launching rockets big enough to carry a person. The term "rocket scientist" is used to describe highly intelligent people for a reason. Rocketry is dangerous business, no matter how intelligent you are.

Intelligent people don't strap themselves into an unproven rocket built in their backyard shed. Any fool can build a rocket that goes a few hundred or thousand feet, you only need a few seconds of thrust in the right direction.

An intelligent person would look at it and think to themselves "holy crap, there's no way I'm getting in that thing".

Just because someone can do a few calculations and build a rocket, it doesn't mean they are intelligent. My computer can do those calcs too and it's as smart as a house brick.

Intelligent people have the ability to analyse a situation, including those of their own making, and see the problems and dangers that are present, and act sensibly in response to those.

The fact that this guy killed himself in a dodgy rocket which was basically just a big steam pressure tank with a nosecone and seat proves that he didn't have the sense or brainpower to see the dangers. Of course, he may have just been plain nuts, and being a flat earther kind of points in that direction...

 

[joecow]

Dude Alien I get what your saying but being intelligent and taking crazy risks while being aware of the risks doesn't make you unintelligent.. stupid maybe, crazy maybe but it doesn't mean your not smart. Also it just depends on how someone wants to use the words in this case it seems your using intelligence to mean wisdom or anything you agree with being sensible. what he did yes was not very wise maybe, maybe not very sensible but so were a lot things done by the pioneers in many fields including flight. He did have a successful launch before too but we seem to be forgetting that. You make comparison with your computer but thats really apples and oranges I think.. your laptop cant build a rocket by its self.. You don't need just calculations but the ingenuity to put those calculations into practice, you have to build the rockit, and make guesses for x factors no one can control and a computers not always gonna get right.. so many things go into building rockits and even teams of scientist can mess it up. what he did privately is actually kind of remarkable if you really think about it..

that said it doesn't mean it wasnt foolish to launch himself on it and it doesn't mean he wasn't aware of that foolishness. His name he took on even says he flat out knows the risks and the foolishness of it.. I think its a big difference when someone who is aware of the risks chooses to take them but someone who has no grasp of the risks takes them while not aware they could die from it..

Last there are likely plenty of drooling morons who wouldn't dare launch themselves in a rockit but don't know the stars and our sun are the same thing but far away, or think paper is yummy or dirt makes great shampoo but that doesn't mean such drooling morons are more intelligent then this guy... Shoot I have a lot of common sense and I know the earth is not flat but that doesnt mean Im smarter then he was either.. intelligence is measured in so many ways after all. You can be a smart fool or a ignorant sage

Your big argument is that he doesn't understand the risks but the more I read up on him the clearer it is to me that he did understand the risks but choose to go through it anyways.

 

[Hawkstein]

As it turns out you're pretty much all wrong:

1) He was a daredevil first and foremost, dying doing what he loved seems like an alright way to go to me.

2) The whole flat earth thing was a just a PR stunt (as per his his public relations representative), dude was probably smarter than most of us.

 

[sciencecompliance]

Calling this crash tragic is like calling a balanced equation tragic. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

 

[gkorby20007]

If he wasn't doing it for flat earth then why did he have flat earth research plaster over the sides of his rocket?