You also want as little atmosphere as possible, otherwise the enormous drag force from the air will both reduce your speed and heat your object up. The first is to be traveling fast enough horizontally that you reach the curvature of the Earth before gravity pulls you to the ground.

To reach an orbit around the Earth you need two things. Orbital flight is a combination of altitude (vertical height) and horizontal velocity. In fact, the equation is still used to this day.

His equation calculates a speed or velocity change based on how much of the rocket's total mass is fuel-the more fuel you have the faster you can go-and how fast it can burn this fuel. The mathematics behind the speed a rocket launch can achieve was developed in the 1890s by a Russian schoolteacher called Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. So let's take a look at his rocket to see what potential pitfalls or successes he could have. Hughes believes that the Earth is flat and that he can prove that with his rocket travels (he has been given money by the Flat Earth Society.) He is willing to go out and literally risk his life to prove what he believes.īut whether he will get anywhere is a different matter.

His latest attempt was scheduled for August 11, but was once again aborted after a fault with the rocket was discovered. His adventures have led to a number of injuries, yet he is still determined to keep going. Hughes' first rocket launch was in 2014, and since then he has taken off several times in his homemade machines-reaching an altitude of 572 metres (1,800 feet) at most. His final goal is to reach the edge of space, but how likely is he to succeed and see that the Earth is actually spherical? The self-declared daredevil and Flat Earther 'Mad' Mike Hughes is preparing for another launch in his homemade, steam-powered rocket in the Californian desert.

Flat earth mike