Reversing our calculations, we can estimate that he would need a minimum velocity change of 1.4 kilometres per second (0.9 miles per second) to do that, and this would require his rocket to hold at least 29,000 litres of water (7,500 U.S. It is not even high enough to see the curvature of the Earth, which requires a minimum height of about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles).ĭespite this, Hughes has stated he wants funding to enable him to reach the Karman line in his next flight. Neither altitude is anywhere close to the edge of space. But Mount Whitney, which is close to Hughes' launch site in California, has a peak of almost 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles). This is a very respectable height to reach on a homemade engine. This means the maximum height he can reach is just over two kilometres (1.2 miles), assuming he launches straight up (this is based on basic equations of motion, ignoring air resistance). The equation then gives a speed change of 206 metres per second. This requires us to know initial velocity (which is 330 metres per second), initial mass (which is 816 kilograms) and a final mass as all the water and steam are gone (this is 437 kilograms). While we don't know the specific dimensions for Hughes' rocket, we can use his description of "95 to 100 gallons of water (360-379 litres), superheated", "leaving the rocket at the speed of sound" and weighing "around 1,800 pounds" to calculate his potential maximum altitude using Tsiolkovsky's rocket equation. This means it essentially takes too much energy to turn it into steam quickly enough to be able to generate a high thrust. The problem with water is that it does not boil quickly-it has a high specific heat capacity. Hughes intends to use water as the fuel itself. The more gas you can produce at higher temperatures, the faster your rocket goes. As the fuel is heated and turned to gas it takes up a larger volume, and as such is pushed out the back of the engine, generating thrust. To reach these speeds, you have to use very specific fuels and engine shapes, relying on the combustion of solids or liquids. And to orbit at this height would require a horizontal speed of 7.8 kilometres per second, which is about 17,500 miles per hour. He dubbed this line, the edge of space, the Karman line. In the 1950s, the aerospace engineer Theodore Von Karman decided that the point where the atmosphere thins so much that normal aeronautical flight (requiring atmosphere) is impossible is at 100 kilometres up (62 miles). 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.
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