# Flat-Earther builds a rocket **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427 "2017-11-22T18:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/121 "2020-02-24T03:47:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > He died like he lived: an idiot. > > I think we should invent an award even higher than the Darwin Award. Darwin Laureate, maybe? Despite his best efforts, he wouldn’t even qualify for a Darwin Award. He apparently had two children. To be eligible for a Darwin, you have to die before having reproduced. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/122 "2020-02-24T03:58:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Despite his best efforts, he wouldn’t even qualify for a Darwin Award. He apparently had two children. To be eligible for a Darwin, you have to die before having reproduced. [What if a Darwin Award nominee has reproduced?](https://darwinawards.com/rules/rules.children.html) > [@](#): > > Is a nominee automatically disqualified if he has offspring? Since genetic and environmental factors both play a role in determining our choices and behaviors, we will need to discuss each as a source of potential Darwin Award candidates, then attempt to answer the question posed above. > > (Much to read here) > > And finally, the child who inherits an unlucky gene will have his own shot at notoriety one day. So the rules do not disqualify nominees who have already reproduced. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/123 "2020-02-24T04:11:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t share the glee here. This wasn’t some hateful political figure, and it seems he wasn’t really a flat-earther either, just a quirky guy who wasn’t satisfied sitting at home on the couch. For me, the combination of idiocy plus hubris is what makes it a fun conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/124 "2020-02-24T04:15:23Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Gees? I’m wondering how many Ohs he pulled, as in Uh-oh! Ohhhh shit! Ohshitohshitohsit! I saw claims somewhere that he had backup chutes, and speculation that he didn’t deploy them because the acceleration at launch knocked him out. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/125 "2020-02-24T06:53:08Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I saw claims somewhere that he had backup chutes, and speculation that he didn’t deploy them because the acceleration at launch knocked him out. I’m not sure how much redundancy you get when the entire budget is $18k. I will say that being knocked out at launch is a much better way to go than what I thought would happen - a pressure vessel failure that would flash cook him with steam. Or for that matter injure anyone else close by. People seemed too damn close to the launcher in the video. Playing ‘Yakety Sax’ while watching the video is oddly satisfying. The only thing missing is a coyote costume and ACME painted on the rocket. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/126 "2020-02-24T09:16:38Z")
As idiotic as all of this might be, he died doing what he loved. I can only wish I go out that way too. …now if I could just figure out what I loved … ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/127 "2020-02-24T09:17:50Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > [This article](https://news.yahoo.com/daredevil-dies-homemade-rocket-crashes-desert-while-filming-070149253--abc-news-topstories.html) mentions several witnesses: Justin Chapman (the cameraman), his wife, and Waldo Stakes a colleague (collaborator?) \ **Waldo** has been found! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/128 "2020-02-24T13:02:01Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > As idiotic as all of this might be, he died doing what he loved. I can only wish I go out that way too. > …now if I could just figure out what I loved > … What, the “sn” doesn’t stand for snu-snu? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/129 "2020-02-24T13:16:45Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > ```auto > > ``` > > Gees? I’m wondering how many Ohs he pulled, as in Uh-oh! Ohhhh shit! Ohshitohshitohsit! > > Oh shit, you mean G-forces. 😉 To be fair that’s what the Apollo astronauts were thinking on their way up. Mainly because of the violent shaking. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/130 "2020-02-24T13:51:36Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > What, the “sn” doesn’t stand for snu-snu? A crushed pelvis doesn’t sound too pleasant. Although it might be right up until it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/131 "2020-02-24T13:57:57Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I saw claims somewhere that he had backup chutes, and speculation that he didn’t deploy them because the acceleration at launch knocked him out. 1800’ isn’t all that high. He’s got the weight of himself + the rocket & he already lost some slowing capability in the chute he lost at launch. Even if he was conscious to pull the chute at the apex (& who knows if he would have been able to manually deploy it at apex as opposed to already on his way down where he now has less altitude & more vertical speed), I wonder how well it would have deployed & how banged & bruised he would have been upon landing without as much slowing as calculated? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/132 "2020-02-24T14:43:31Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > The only thing missing is a coyote costume and ACME painted on the rocket. [Here ya go](https://www.topcartoons.tv/stupor-duck/); fast forward to 6:06. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/133 "2020-02-24T14:53:09Z")
You cannot fix stupid, but it can be flattened. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/134 "2020-02-24T18:03:52Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > As idiotic as all of this might be, he died doing what he loved. I can only wish I go out that way too. > …now if I could just figure out what I loved > … Fätãl Ørgåsm – I think I saw them open for Joan Baez once. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/135 "2020-02-24T18:56:43Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Also from the story, > _(Darren Shuster, his public relations representative), who did not attend Saturday’s launch, said the flat Earth argument helped drum up publicity and sponsors for Hughes, who made his rockets at his home in Apple Valley. “I don’t think he believed it,” Shuster said. “He did have some governmental conspiracy theories. But don’t confuse it with that flat Earth thing. That was a PR stunt we dreamed up.”_ It’s ironic that his strategy to get money to do something stupid was to claim an even more stupid motivation. But that raises the question of what his real motivation was. Was it just the excitement of flying in a home-made rocket? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/136 "2020-02-24T19:55:15Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > I don’t share the glee here. This wasn’t some hateful political figure, and it seems he wasn’t really a flat-earther either, just a quirky guy who wasn’t satisfied sitting at home on the couch. Obviously he knew what the risks were but it’s still terribly sad that he died in front of his friends and family. I don’t think there’s really a lot of glee. The Darwin Awards are essentially dark humor, and it comes not from celebrating anyone’s demise but from marveling at the sheer stupidity of what some people will do. Even so, many of them are sad rather than funny. One of the funniest Darwin stories of all, about the guy who attached a JATO (jet assisted take off) rocket to a Chevy Malibu, went very very fast and eventually ended up in small pieces a hundred feet up a mountainside, is mainly funny because it’s fake; it never happened, but one can laugh at speed-demon car idiots who one imagines might just want to do such a thing. But then [there’s this guy](https://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2018-15.html). A professional welder who got a brilliant idea: instead of hauling around two tanks, oxygen and acetylene, for oxy-acetylene welding, why not premix them in just one tank? So he did, using an empty propane tank with no regulator on it. When he tried to help a friend repair his car, his friend told him several times he was crazy, and then got the hell as far away as he could. When the guy lit the welding tip, the resulting explosion destroyed the car, the building the car was in, and shattered windows in houses some distance away. The sheer stupidity is at least worth a chuckle, but in any case, earned the ex-welder a Darwin Award. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/137 "2020-02-24T20:52:40Z")
This may be the only time I’ve seen someone’s death basically being applauded on YouTube and in discussion forums such as this. While I’m totally opposed to his stunts being done in the name of a stupid, anti-science organization, I have to say…yeesh folks. I’m not surprised, but also not thrilled that he killed himself doing this. I’m not about to mash the “like” button. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/138 "2020-02-24T20:58:54Z")
I don’t see anyone applauding his death ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/139 "2020-02-24T21:11:46Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I don’t see anyone applauding his death Post #80. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427/140 "2020-02-24T21:22:20Z")
Moron dies moroning. Film at 11. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earther-builds-a-rocket/802427.md?page=8)