Self taught "rocket scientist" plans to launch himself........

Bat-mite said:

We need to get one of them into space.

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How would that help? The mere fact that they can go all the way around the planet and come back to the same point won't mean much to them, nor that they won't be able to see the entire "disc" from one spot. They would either 1) make up more pseudo-science to "explain" it, or 2) they simply disown the one that went on the flight as having "sold out". It won't change any of the true believers' minds. You can't argue with irrational any more than you can fix stupid. Its pretty sad, really...

KidRockET said:

I don't understand...

All the HATE for this guy...

It's not like he is taking...

Money from tax-paying...

Citizens like MUSK...

Even he wouldn't fly on...

One of his own rockets...

Sheeeeeeeeeeesh...

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I don't understand all the ellipses from this guy. So difficult to read.

And as I remember it Musk took a loan from the Government because NASA would benefit from his research and development, and as I understand it Musk has paid all of the money back (I don't have anything to back that up, just something I think I remember). NASA has another, MUCH cheaper, option to get cargo up to the ISS so it was a good investment on our part. And soon they'll have a MUCH cheaper option to get astronauts into space. I'm sure Musk would be more than willing to take a ride into space himself on one of his rockets as soon as it becomes man rated. I know I would.

All this is miles... lightyears ahead of a flat earther trying to launch himself in a rocket that will benefit nobody except the late night TV talk show hosts by giving them ammunition to make fun of him.

EXPjawa said:

How would that help? The mere fact that they can go all the way around the planet and come back to the same point won't mean much to them, nor that they won't be able to see the entire "disc" from one spot. They would either 1) make up more pseudo-science to "explain" it, or 2) they simply disown the one that went on the flight as having "sold out". It won't change any of the true believers' minds. You can't argue with irrational any more than you can fix stupid. Its pretty sad, really...

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I think it might dissuade the ones that are deceived, as opposed to truly mentally ill, or just in it to be rebellious and anti-establishment.

Bat-mite said:

How can you tell whether or not the earth is flat from 1800'? Flat earthers have been on commercial airliners and still think it is flat. We need to get one of them into space.

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He's not. This is a practice shot. Next step is to launch from a rockoon at 60,000 feet and get into space.

I also believe he joined the flat earthers so he could scam them out of their money. If anyone deserves to be scammed, it's those idiots. It's a shame he's tied to them now. I admire guys who can modify an old motorhome into a launch pad and build a rocket that might fly with or without him in it. We need hands-on fabricators just like we need guys like Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Unfortunately, rejecting science and becoming a Flat Earther just lumps him in with the crazy moron crowd.

He'll never actually launch himself in that rocket. I hope he got a few steak dinners out of the FE's money.

Bat-mite said:

How can you tell whether or not the earth is flat from 1800'? Flat earthers have been on commercial airliners and still think it is flat. We need to get one of them into space.

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Someone hasn't gone far enough down the rabbit hole, lol

This is just one wrung on his ladder. He wants to ride a balloon up to 67000 and launch his rocket from there......

Mushtang said:

...I don't understand all the ellipses from this guy...

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Awe Mush, Take a deep breath...

Relax and read it as one...

Complete thought...

You will know where...

The natural pauses are...

KidRockET said:

Awe Mush, Take a deep breath...

Relax and read it as one...

Complete thought...

You will know where...

The natural pauses are...

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I find that if you read it in a Shatner/Kirk sort of cadence, it's a lot of fun.

ssixsixsix

stealth6 said:

I find that if you read it in a Shatner/Kirk sort of cadence, it's a lot of fun.

ssixsixsix

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I was getting a Christopher Walken, myself. Or maybe Prof. Frink.

Well, he launched himself and survived. 1,875 feet.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/self-taught-rocket-scientist-blasts-off-into-california-sky/ar-BBKEr5H?ocid=spartanntp

Pretty cool launch, kudos to him for actually getting off the ground. Love how it just took off with no warning . But, 1875 feet? Doesn't even look close to me. Anyone want to take a stab at the actual height?
https://youtu.be/0UAHORcbvvQ

Anyone have a scale model build yet?

Did he really do it? Some are saying they never saw him get into the rocket.

Kelly said:

Pretty cool launch, kudos to him for actually getting off the ground. Love how it just took off with no warning . But, 1875 feet? Doesn't even look close to me. Anyone want to take a stab at the actual height?
https://youtu.be/0UAHORcbvvQ

Anyone have a scale model build yet?

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If you assume he was just shot out of a gun with no drag, the time to apogee gives about 1500 feet. My guess is more like 1000.

Another data point- he cleared the ~10m rail in ~3/4 second (3 sec on 1/4 speed). That gives an acceleration of 3.6 gees off the pad, and the "burn" (boil?) was about 3 seconds. Hey, OpenRocket can sim that!

A scaled down version with those stats in OR gives 550 feet, but that doesn't take into account the difference in drag for larger objects- you can't make scale-model air. A zero drag version only gives 600 ft though. (using a G40 as a "typical" 3-sec burn- it's slightly regressive, but that's what a pressure-powered engine would do as well.)

Kelly said:

Pretty cool launch, kudos to him for actually getting off the ground. Love how it just took off with no warning . But, 1875 feet? Doesn't even look close to me. Anyone want to take a stab at the actual height?
https://youtu.be/0UAHORcbvvQ

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1,875 feet? Well, he does claim the world is flat. :eyeroll:

Cool. That's lower alt than I cruised a Cessna 150 rental at for $126/ HR wet. Wonder how many thousands they spent.

He made it? Well, I guess it’s a proven vehicle now! Who wants to go next?

Take a look at this video. When they switch to the far camera at about 20 seconds, you can clearly see the curvature of the earth. It’s not flat at all!

The weird thing is it’s curved the OPPOSITE way from what we’ve always been told! It’s concave, not convex! Mad Mike has proven that the earth is not a rock floating in a universe of space — it’s a space inside a universe of rock! Score another victory for science!

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0UAHORcbvvQ&feature=youtu.be[/video]

crossfire said:

Some are saying they never saw him get into the rocket.

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There's certainly no evidence in the video that he was in it. Seems odd there was no on-board video.

Did this guy have a waiver?

crossfire said:

Did he really do it? Some are saying they never saw him get into the rocket.

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mikec said:

There's certainly no evidence in the video that he was in it. Seems odd there was no on-board video.

Did this guy have a waiver?

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I'm glad it's not just me that's suspicious. Why would you -not- have a half dozen cellphone videos of the pilot climbing in and climbing out? Why would you -not- have at least two cheapo GoPro knockoffs in the cockpit?

He claimed to have flown in 2014 but there was NO video of him aboard when it flew. Only "alleged" video of him being carried out after landing. So he either was not onboard or incredibly stupid to not document that he was (that flight had a GoPro looking rearward to document the parachute being damaged)

Till there's proof he was onboard, I consider this to be a fake claim that HE flew in that rocket.

Hell, I hereby CLAIM I was in that rocket. Let Mad Mike PROVE that I was NOT aboard when it flew!

Here is the Noize TV video. This one is much better. 36 minutes of quality programming This looks legit, but hard to reconcile with the other video that shows a bunch of people and kids standing around and then "whoosh!" it takes off. My son said it looked a lot like when Mythbusters launched water heaters in the air, but it has a nosecone and a bag of meat on top.

[video=youtube;M0WmenDhtaY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0WmenDhtaY[/video]

AllDigital said:

Here is the Noize TV video. This one is much better. 36 minutes of quality programming This looks legit, but hard to reconcile with the other video that shows a bunch of people and kids standing around and then "whoosh!" it takes off. My son said it looked a lot like when Mythbusters launched water heaters in the air, but it has a nosecone and a bag of meat on top.

[video=youtube;M0WmenDhtaY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0WmenDhtaY[/video]

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This video also offers some great ideas in terms of personal grooming, fashion sense, and tattoos.

AllDigital said:

Here is the Noize TV video. This one is much better. 36 minutes of quality programming This looks legit, but hard to reconcile with the other video that shows a bunch of people and kids standing around and then "whoosh!" it takes off. My son said it looked a lot like when Mythbusters launched water heaters in the air, but it has a nosecone and a bag of meat on top.

[video=youtube;M0WmenDhtaY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0WmenDhtaY[/video]

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ThirstyBarbarian said:

This video also offers some great ideas in terms of personal grooming, fashion sense, and tattoos.

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As well as premier broadcast talent and great use of the English language...

rharshberger said:

As well as premier broadcast talent and great use of the English language...

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That was English?

ThirstyBarbarian said:

Take a look at this video. When they switch to the far camera at about 20 seconds, you can clearly see the curvature of the earth. It’s not flat at all!

The weird thing is it’s curved the OPPOSITE way from what we’ve always been told! It’s concave, not convex! Mad Mike has proven that the earth is not a rock floating in a universe of space — it’s a space inside a universe of rock! Score another victory for science!

Click to expand...

Ya know, when I was younger, like 6 or 8.. I also had trouble with us "on" planet earth. I knew nothing of 'specific gravity', but knew of centripetal force. So, I had a hard time figuring out how we were 'on' a spinning planet and didn't get flung off. The easy answer was that we were on the inside (Like water in a bucket I did many a time!) But how then did the moon & stars fit 'inside' this sphere.. I just accepted it until high school, and the notion of 'specific gravity' came up in class. Ahhh, now it makes sense!!

No rocket is needed to prove the earth is flat (not that it is, but bear with me). Join an Antarctic skiing expedition (my brother-in-law did it, had a blast), but make a provision for a dog sled, and when you get to Anarctica, take the sled due south. Take at least one "non-believer" with you, and photograph the edge of the earth. Simple.

I guess the "scientific community" would assassinate you before you could return with the pictures.

The depth of the cognitive and intellectual dissonance required to be able to engineer, construct and launch a steam powered rocket while still thinking that it’s physically possible that the earth is flat is the real news story here. I know lots of people who will believe anything the internet tells them, but few of them are also intelligent enough to engineer something like that.

I’m impressed.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

jnobels said:

The depth of the cognitive and intellectual dissonance required to be able to engineer, construct and launch a steam powered rocket while still thinking that it’s physically possible that the earth is flat is the real news story here. I know lots of people who will believe anything the internet tells them, but few of them are also intelligent enough to engineer something like that.
Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

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I’m impressed.

Reminds me of an old joke.

A guy was driving past an insane asylum when he got a flat tire. While he was jacking up the car, he noticed a guy inside the asylum fence staring at him.

He tried to ignore the staring and focus on changing the tire. But while the wheel was off, a sudden gust of wind blew all four lugnuts into a storm drain.

"Ah, crap. Now what do I do?" he lamented.

The guy behind the fence said, "Just take one lugnut from each of the other three wheels and put them on that wheel. You'll be able to make it to a service station like that."

The driver looked at him and replied, "That's brilliant! I never would have thought of that." Then he thought for a moment, and said, "If you can come up with ideas like that, why are you in there?"

To which the inmate answered, "I'm crazy, but I'm not stupid!"

Rocket side show carne, that's all I come up with.

There are so many fun things out there to consider. While I enjoy Ancient Aliens as a....but what if?...sort of thing, I could never even approach getting a handle on this flat earth stuff. Who comes up with this sort of stuff and the mechanics to sell it to other people. I get that after enough people buy into it, it sort of makes it's own weather but come on, who buys into a flat earth? I guess the people that do also easily buy into the idea this dude was riding shotgun on that steam missile of his.

I do think he was stupid enough to ride it. If not I can't see them faking getting hurt on the landing. He would have popped out and started running around if they faked it. People dont realize how fast the descent rate is under parachute. Dude was lucky not to have gotten a face full of rock on impact.

I say he offered himself to his flat Earth sky gods and they rejected him, and spat him back out.