BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA — Self-proclaimed daredevil "Mad Mike" Hughes is sadly no longer around after he crashed in his homemade rocket shortly after take off near Barstow on Saturday.
Hughes was well-known for his belief in a non-round Earth, and was hoping to prove it by launching himself up into space.
According to a Space.com, Hughes had planned to shoot himself up into the sky for a Science Channel series called "Homemade Astronauts." According to Discovery—which owns The Science Channel—the series is supposed to follow people looking to "explore the final frontier on limited budgets." Discovery's website said Hughes and Waldo Stakes built the steam-powered rocket with the intent of getting Hughes 5,000 feet into the air.
Video posted to social media shows the rocket flying up and a parachute ripping off at launch.
According to witnesses talking to the LA Times, the rocket went straight up in an arc and then came straight down.
None of Mike's backup parachutes worked either.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the crash off highway 247 in Barstow on Saturday afternoon.
A sheriff's aviation unit is now investigating the incident.