NPR

One Giant Leap For A Man, One Small Step Toward Proving Earth Is A 'Frisbee'

"Mad" Mike Hughes achieved the improbable, launching himself over 1,800 feet high in his homemade rocket — and surviving. It's all part of his quest to determine for himself whether Earth is flat.

After months of anticipation, preparation and , "Mad" Mike Hughes didn't even wait to perform a countdown. Instead, on Saturday afternoon in the Mojave Desert, the 61-year-old limousine driver stuffed himself into the central compartment of his homemade rocket, had an assistant close the hatch — and without further warning for the camera crew perched nearby, launched himself more than 1,800

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