Mechanical Problems, No Launch Permit Keep 'Mad' Mike Hughes Grounded

Mechanical problems and bureaucracy are denying a California man the opportunity to win a Darwin Award.

A self-taught rocket scientist "Mad" Mike Hughes had planned to launch himself on a suborbital flight Saturday to prove, as he believes, that the Earth is flat. But he announced on YouTube that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would not allow him to launch his steam-powered rocket from a launch platform built from a motor home he purchased on Craigslist.

MSN reports that Hughes spend a total of about $20,000 on his rocket and motor home. The flight was supposed to launch from Amboy, CA in the desert near Needles northeast of Los Angeles.

He reportedly had initially been told by the BLM that he needed a permit from the FAA for a launch. The FAA told him they could not approve the plan. Hughes says that BLM began to push for permits when he began to get media attention for his effort.

To add to his woes, the motor home that is to serve as his launch platform broke down in his driveway as they were preparing to leave last Wednesday.

But Hughes, a 61-year-old limo driver, is undeterred. He said on YouTube that he plans to try again this week to prove the Earth is flat by riding a homemade steam-powered rocket launched from the California desert.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: Original Report