Having scrapped a pair of previous launches in recent months, the third time proved to be a charm for a Flat Earth enthusiast and his homemade rocket.
'Mad' Mike Hughes successfully launched himself inside of his steam-powered creation at an event on Saturday in the Mojave Desert.
The brief-but-spectacular scene saw Hughes and his rocket soar to around 2,000 feet in the air at a speed of 350-miles per hour before the daredevil ejected from the craft.
His return to terra firma proved to be nearly as dangerous as the launch itself as Hughes had to deploy a second parachute to slow himself down as he plummeted back to the ground.
Fortunately, he suffered only a sore back from the landing which likely proved to be a salve for his bruised ego after being lambasted by critics following the cancellation of his previous two scheduled launches in November and February.
"I'm tired of people saying I chickened out and didn't build a rocket," Hughes told the Associated Press after the launch, "I'm tired of that stuff. I manned up and did it."
Beyond the fact that he was launching himself inside of a homemade rocket, Hughes gained additional notoriety in the mainstream media for his reasoning behind the endeavor: to prove the Earth is flat.
Sadly, it would seem that the launch did not provide the height necessary for Hughes to fully upend our scientific paradigm when it comes to the shape of the planet.
Nonetheless, the daredevil may use this past weekend's personal victory to propel him towards perhaps another rocket launch in the future where he can test the Flat Earth theory for himself once and for all.
Source: The Independent