In a tragic turn of events, a man has lost his life during a daring attempt to demonstrate the flat Earth theory.
Mike Hughes, known as "Mad Mike," passed away while testing his homemade rocket in California's Mojave Desert.
Hughes, a self-taught rocket scientist and daredevil, had gained attention for his unconventional beliefs about the shape of the Earth.
He believed that the Earth was flat, contrary to scientific consensus.
To prove his theory, he constructed steam-powered rockets and planned to launch himself high enough to observe the Earth's shape firsthand.
The homemade rocket, built from salvaged parts over several years, was intended to reach heights where Hughes could gather evidence to support his beliefs.
In 2018, Hughes successfully launched a homemade rocket to an altitude of around 1,875 feet (570m), reaching a speed of 350 mph.
Despite this initial success, his ultimate goal was to fly 5,000 feet (1,500,) into the air in a steam-powered rocket he had built at a cost of $18,000.
However, shortly after the rocket's launch, a parachute system appeared to malfunction, leading to a rapid descent.
Emergency responders on-site rushed to the scene, but Hughes tragically did not survive the crash. His bold experiment, which was broadcast live online, ended in unforeseen tragedy.
Tragically, during the filming of a documentary called 'Homemade Astronauts' for the US Science Channel, Hughes' rocket launch ended in a fatal crash in the California desert on February 22, 2020.
After his death, however, his public relations representative, Darren Shuster, claimed that Hughes' flat Earth theory was merely a publicity stunt, saying 'we used flat Earth as a PR stunt.
Flat Earth allowed us to get so much publicity that we kept going! I know he didn't believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick."
Typically, flat Earth theorists believe that photographs taken from space are fake and that the Earth is not spherical.
They think an ice wall surrounds the edges of the Earth.
Cox stated that there is absolutely no credible evidence to support the belief that the Earth is flat.
He emphasized that ancient civilizations like the Greeks had already measured the Earth's radius, which contradicts the idea of a flat Earth.
Furthermore, Cox pointed to photographic evidence from space that clearly shows the curvature of the Earth, providing undeniable proof that our planet is spherical.
He expressed astonishment at the Flat Earth theory, calling it the most nonsensical idea that a rational person could propose.
