A man who goes by "Mad" Mike Hughes successfully launched himself into the sky aboard a homemade steam-powered rocket with RESEARCH FLAT EARTH painted on the side.
The rocket reached speeds of up to 350 mph while traveling more than 1800 feet into the air. Afterwards, Hughes said he had an aching back but was otherwise fine. He says he was "tired of people saying I chickened out and didn't build a rocket". He also was well aware of the danger, saying the rocket "wants to kill you 10 different ways".
The 61-year-old Hughes had tried and failed to launch the rocket twice before. He says he built the rocket out of salvaged parts and has spent about $20,000 on the project.Hughes hopes to one day build a rocket that will take him 68 miles above the Earth, so he can test his Flat Earth theory.
UPDATE
Things didn't go quite as planned. Come to find out the homemade rocket navigated by Mad Mike took a pretty tough landing on the way down. Possibly breaking his back.