Now that "Mad Mike" Hughes is gone
- Thread starter geejayen
- Start date
Help Support The Rocketry Forum:
Flyfalcons
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2015
- Messages
- 2,584
- Reaction score
- 912
Nope. They are, ahem, a dying breed.
Yes. Sad. But there has to be others somewhere. he was a real cowboy type and I loved that about him.
Those “cowboy types” don’t spend much time here. Probably have better luck looking the on the flat earthers forum.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2009
- Messages
- 5,204
- Reaction score
- 1,547
Eddie Braun. In 2016, did the Snake River Canyon Jump that Evel Knievel tried and failed at.
There was a 2014 launch by Mike Hughes that he claimed to be aboard. But the only video footage of him was crawling out of it after the rocket landed. No launch images or onboard images/video that showed he really was aboard that 2014 flight. Contrast that with the above video. Sorry he died but he had "ethics" issues (and I think he took the Flat Earth sponsor money without really believing in it, just another hustle).
There was a 2014 launch by Mike Hughes that he claimed to be aboard. But the only video footage of him was crawling out of it after the rocket landed. No launch images or onboard images/video that showed he really was aboard that 2014 flight. Contrast that with the above video. Sorry he died but he had "ethics" issues (and I think he took the Flat Earth sponsor money without really believing in it, just another hustle).
Last edited:
It is sad.
It's one thing to be a daredevil who works hard to understand the science and physics and uses them to make their stunts work as safely as possible while looking dangerous to the average Joe. That's the kind of person Eddie Braun and Scott Truax are, the stuntman and rocket builder who successfully recreated Evel Knievel's rocket jump. That I can respect and admire. That's the kind of role model you want your sons and daughters to emulate.
It's quite another thing to do those same stunts while ignoring the physics and science. Everything I've read or seen about Mr. Hughes leads me to believe he fit into the latter category, kind of a "Never tell me the science; I know what I'm doing!" type of person. That kind of behavior is not to be admired or celebrated.
MClark
Well-Known Member
NateB
Well-Known Member
The cowboy types can be entertaining from afar, but when you are in the vicinity of their antics and can be injured or killed by their actions, they stop being entertaining.
It gets sobering real quick when it is your life on the line when someone is operating aircraft in a risky manner or when an experiment goes awry. Managing risk is necessary and great things come from taking managed, educated, risks. Throwing caution to the wind while refusing to educate yourself is just suicidal.
It gets sobering real quick when it is your life on the line when someone is operating aircraft in a risky manner or when an experiment goes awry. Managing risk is necessary and great things come from taking managed, educated, risks. Throwing caution to the wind while refusing to educate yourself is just suicidal.
Last edited:
He was stupid period. Some say he was a smart scammer getting money from the flat earthers. No way was he going to see the curvature of the earth in the rockets he was flying. It's too bad people die doing stupid stuff but he was an accident waiting to happen and happened it did.
Last edited:
I dont think MMH was a flat-earther himself but he used that society to financially back his project of a human manned rocket. As if they believed 3000' feet in his rocket would prove the earth is flat or that he could go higher.
I think at last count there were exactly zero fans of him on this forum.
rfjustin
Well-Known Member
#nailedit
rharshberger
Well-Known Member
You got it...I think...
0011001100
A Person
Based on this post, I would say the count is currently at 1.
Re-reading this again. I don't think he was anywhere near a self taught rocket scientist, at all. Loss of life for any reason is always terrible. I think you'd find more self taught rocket scientists here. It's a bummer that he would be admired as such by anyone. Maybe an inspiration to some in some way, but not a rocket scientist.
Is this another troll thread that we're biting on?
When I was watching some of those videos. He was driving with a friend I guess and his friend mentioned they only had $65 in a Go Fund Me account. I guess he didn't have that many believers?
Oh yes. Sad that someone had to die to demonstrate how stupid such stunts are. Sadder still that some members of the public may think this is typical of our hobby. And saddest of all that he may "inspire" someone else to do this and die.
I do hope he becomes a Darwin award winner; it is exceptionally we deserved.
grouch
Well-Known Member
I was not a fan of the guy but I did at least try to defend him as a human that lost his life. In a past life I have been involved in cleaning up after something similar (far worse actually) and it is extremely sad when you factor all the moving pieces. Family, spectators, and innocent bystanders all are impacted in ways that will take years to sort out if ever. I have seen and managed the resulting trauma first hand and it's not fun. Seeing people dismiss Mike as a person because he did something foolish is inhumane.
I thought he was perhaps too willing to accept high risk, but I was casually following his project because it was mildly interesting to me.
When I heard of the accident, I was sad to hear of his passing. As I get older I'm more willing to see the inherent value of human life. I was not happy to watch the video and learn that a single point failure would result in a worst-case scenario. Hell, even in HPR there are multiple redundancies in the recovery system to maximize the possibility of recovering the rocket (and also protecting participants/bystanders).
-Dave
When I heard of the accident, I was sad to hear of his passing. As I get older I'm more willing to see the inherent value of human life. I was not happy to watch the video and learn that a single point failure would result in a worst-case scenario. Hell, even in HPR there are multiple redundancies in the recovery system to maximize the possibility of recovering the rocket (and also protecting participants/bystanders).
-Dave
Makes sense. Sorry all, I am a newbie here just trying to get back into rockets. I loved them as a kid. Thansk for clarifying who he was and what he was all about. I guess i was not looking closely enough. My bad. Anyway, excited to be here and learn.
Thank you! WHat do you think of the Copenhagen Suborbitals group with their DIY rockets and trying to get a man into space?
I greatly enjoy following their progress. They’re using all the tools available to them to do some really interesting engineering.
Me
Me too! Seems like a cool and fascinating group. They offer tours of the facility too according to their website. I'd love to do that! Wish I could be a volunteer but I do not live anywhere near there!
I haven't checked on them in a long while. The last time I did, they were taking a slow and careful road, learning a lot along the way. As it should be.
Culprit
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
- Messages
- 151
- Reaction score
- 137
It's been said more than once on this forum that the "up" in rocketry is the easy part, and the recovery is the hard part. Sooo, does Luke Aikins count? The guy who jumped from 25,000 feet into a net without a parachute?
I'm not a risk taker so this looks like one of the stupidest things ever done.
Bruce
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2019
- Messages
- 380
- Reaction score
- 108
I'm curious about these low altitude manned rocket flights. Have there been any other private manned flights besides Evel Knieval, Eddie Braun and Mad Mike Hughes?
I understand that all 3 of them used steam powered rockets where a high pressure boiler is employed and superheated steam is released to create the thrust to power the rocket. Why didn't any of them use conventional APCP solid rocket motors? Is it thats the steam setup is somehow more suited to manned flight by being simpler or safer? An if so, have any amateur unmanned rockets been powered by steam?
I understand that all 3 of them used steam powered rockets where a high pressure boiler is employed and superheated steam is released to create the thrust to power the rocket. Why didn't any of them use conventional APCP solid rocket motors? Is it thats the steam setup is somehow more suited to manned flight by being simpler or safer? An if so, have any amateur unmanned rockets been powered by steam?
Nytrunner
Pop lugs, not drugs
Water and steam pressure vessels aren't controlled substances by the ATF, and don't require significant knowledge of chemistry and combustion to get working
Similar threads
