Hughes and Waldo Stakes built a steam-powered rocket with the intent of launching Hughes 5,000 feet into the air, the website said.
He eventually hoped to develop a rocket that would launch him 62 miles in the air to where the Earth’s atmosphere meets outer space, according to the Discovery Channel.
Mad Mike Hughes just launched himself in a self-made steam-powered rocket and crash landed. Very likely did not survive. #MadMike #MadMikeHughes pic.twitter.com/svtviTEi8f
— Justin Chapman (@justindchapman) February 22, 2020
Deputies responded to the fatal rocket crash off highway 247 in Barstow, California, on Saturday afternoon, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. While authorities did not formally identify Hughes, they said a man was pronounced dead after a rocket crashed in the open desert during a launch event. A sheriff’s aviation unit is investigating.
cnn.com
