Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes dies at 64 after attempting a homemade rocket launch into space

Michael "Mad Mike" Hughes was famous for his goal to launch himself into space with a homemade rocket.
Michael “Mad Mike” Hughes was famous for his goal to launch himself into space with a homemade rocket.

James Quigg/Daily Press via AP

  • American daredevil and flat-Earth conspiracy theorist Michael “Mad Mike” Hughes died at age 64 Saturday during an attempt to launch a homemade rocket into space.

  • Hughes’ homemade rocket launch attempt took place in Barstow, California, CNN reported.

  • The Science Channel was documenting Hughes’ rocket launch and witnessed the crash-landing incident. The TV channel confirmed Hughes’ death in a statement on Twitter.

  • “Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey,” the Science Channel tweeted.

  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Michael “Mad Mike” Hughes died at age 64 on Saturday after a failed attempt to launch a homemade rocket into space.

The fatal rocket crash occurred Saturday afternoon in Barstow, California, near Highway 247, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement reported by CNN.

Hughes was made famous by daredevil tendencies and a goal to launch himself into space. The rocket launch attempt was being filmed by the Science Channel for a show called “Homemade Astronauts,” according to the series’ description on the Discovery Channel’s website.

On Saturday night, the Science Channel shared a statement on Twitter confirming Hughes’ death.

“Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey,” the tweet read.

Waldo Stakes was Hughes’ colleague who was also present at the rocket launch on Saturday.

“It was unsuccessful, and he passed away,” Stakes told the Associated Press.

Representatives for the Science Channel did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

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source: yahoo.com