RIP Mad Mike / No Parachute :( (2 Viewers)

justsomedude

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The guy crashed his flat-earther rocket something fierce.

Last year's survived crash:

This year's crash (edited out for decency - but available with clever searching):
 
My kid and I have been following his story with wonder and confused awe since he started planning his first attempt.

A sad end for a, er... brave man. Yes, whatever else he was, he was brave.

A true hero to several.

And his unlikely world record for longest-ever jump in a stretch limousine will probably never be matched.

This guy was walking proof that truth is stranger than fiction. We’re honestly sad he perished.
 
So after he breaks his back in the first launch, and says how terrifying it was, he does it again?
 
The only thing he had to fear was sphere itself!

Ironically if the rocket had gone fast enough and reached orbit, it would would be because the earth is round that it would stay in orbit. An orbit is basically a fall at high speed. You are falling around a round earth.
 
I assume the parachute you see getting ripped off immediately at launch was, uh, not supposed to do that.

And the other three did not deploy, I seem to recall reading.

I’d never heard of this guy before the accident, but he seemed determined to test his hypothesis and willing to accept the alternative if it was somehow sufficiently demonstrated to him. So there’s that.
 
And the other three did not deploy, I seem to recall reading.

I’d never heard of this guy before the accident, but he seemed determined to test his hypothesis and willing to accept the alternative if it was somehow sufficiently demonstrated to him. So there’s that.
I had heard of him, but didn't realize he actually "succeeded" in launching himself once, let alone twice.

Apparently, looking into the sky and seeing an obviously spherical moon wasn't sufficient. Or the fact that airplanes can travel east or west and end up in the same place.

When, exactly, did this second launch happen? Seems like that would have been a fairly big news story.
 
Its kinda funny that a "flat earther" died when his rocket crashed into a mountain. Not so flat, huh?
 
I read about it on Sunday. I think that was the day it occurred.

That the launch was not such a big story speaks volumes to the perceived plausibility of the deceased’s theory, I’d say.
 
Our moon is spherical (approximately). The planets in our solar system are spherical. Our planet's moons are spherical. Planets and their moons in other galaxies are spherical. It stands to reason, then, that the earth is flat. Or does it? :banghead:
 
I can’t help but think this:
Other flat-earthers say “I won’t believe anything I don’t see with my own eyes... and I refuse to look.” Which of course is the hallmark of the whole anti-enlightenment movement.
Mad Mike said “I won’t believe anything I don’t see with my own eyes, so I’m going to go look.”

While still ridiculous, it is markedly less so, and I find it way less frustrating.

There is also a fair bit of evidence that he really just wanted to build a steam powered rocket, and the flat-earthers were willing to pony up enough cash to do it.
 
There's a documentary on Amazon prime called Rocketman: Mad Mike's mission to prove the earth is flat if anyone is interested. I couldn't get through the whole thing because of how brainwashed some of those flate earthers can be
 
As far as flaky beliefs go, I don't mind the Flat Earthers at all. Their belief in the flat earth really doesn't do much harm in the grand scheme of things.

Anti-vaxxers, however....
Problem is, I think it does do harm... it tries to undermine science and facts, which then potentially feeds anti-vaxxers & co. even more.
 

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