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Elon Musk shuts down Flat Earth conspiracy as social media brags

AS ELON Musk’s rocket soared into space, another man made a brave attempt to debunk science. It backfired spectacularly.

Matt Young
3 min read
February 8, 2018 - 9:03AM
SpaceX launches the Falcon Heavy rocket

ELON Musk didn’t just send a car into space overnight. He confirmed the truth about, well, Earth.

It might be a truth well known to humankind already, but for those who prefer to live life in a tin foil hat, the launch of monster rocket the Falcon Heavy may have provided some much-needed clues.

This morning, Musk’s rocket company SpaceX launched the craft on a historical test flight, sending a Tesla roadster into orbit around the sun.

Cameras on the car beamed back live images of the vehicle as the rocket fell away and the car began a journey that will take it to the edge of Mars.

But as the cameras rolled, one man and another rocket have been attempting to relaunch the Flat Earth theory.

For a long time, humankind thought the Earth was a flat disc. In fact, some still think it now. Like rapper B.o.B, for example.

This is American rapper Bobby Ray Simmons Jr, also known as B.o.B. He thinks the earth is flat.
This is American rapper Bobby Ray Simmons Jr, also known as B.o.B. He thinks the earth is flat.

“A lot of people are turned off by the phrase ‘flat earth’ ... but there’s no way u can see all the evidence and not know ... grow up,” he previously tweeted, and then deleted.

B.o.B claimed that if the Earth was indeed curved, we would see that curve on the horizon.

“The cities in the background are approx. 16 miles apart ... where is the curve? please explain this,” he posted in another tweet in January 2016.

When questioned why no one had seen the edge of the Earth, he replied: “Have u been to the edge? or is that what your science book told you?”

Because that makes sense.

So in an effort to prove the conspiracy theory right, one man, named Mike, built his own rocket. Last year, Mike Hughes announced a plan to fly to space by the end of 2018 so he could prove astronauts — and scientists — have been lying the whole time.

Mike launched a GoFundMe campaign claiming he was “on an adventure to launch myself into space with a homemade rocket”. He raised just $100 of his $10,000 goal.

Nevertheless, Mike pushed forward. Yesterday was his third attempt. Unfortunately, the launch didn’t quite go to plan. As he sat there, in his rocket, nothing happened. The whole debacle was broadcast live on NoiseTV.

“Maybe I left a plug in there?” he said. “I pulled the plunger five different times. I considered beating on the rocket nozzle from the underneath side. But you can’t get anyone under there. It’ll kill you. It’ll scald you to death. It’ll blow the skin and muscle off your bones.

Mad Mike Hughes failes to launch.
Mad Mike Hughes failes to launch.

“I hate to disappoint everybody. The last thing I want to do is climb out of the thing. I’m ready. Guys, I’m sorry. What can you do?”

Mike says he’s “just one man” — but he’s pushing on, with a new “secret” launch date in the works.

“Hughes blamed technical difficulties — possibly a bad O-ring — for his steam-powered rocket’s failure to ignite this weekend in the Mojave Desert,” The Washington Post reported.

“But even if it had, and even if he managed to subsequently rocket-pack himself into space by the end of the year, his mission would have ended at worst in death, and at best in disappointment as he realised what Ancient Greeks and schoolchildren already knew — the world is round; it has always been round; Mike Hughes will never see its edges.”

Back in actual space, this happened.

According to science — and astronomer Stuart Clarke — the idea of a flat earth is theoretically impossible.

“It’s hard to even begin (to imagine) what a flat earth would actually be like because it’s just so impossible,” he wrote in the Independent.

“It’s so clearly obvious that the world isn’t flat. We see when ships leave the harbour you can see as they gradually disappear below the horizon. You can see if you go up on top of a tall tower or a hill and you see more over the horizon.

“All our physics is constructed now, the physics of orbits of things going around the earth is all constructed with this three dimensional world. And the pictures from space show our world as a globe and yet somehow there are some people that still seem to believe the earth is flat.”

But, as always in life, you can’t please them all.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/elon-musk-shuts-down-flat-earth-conspiracy-as-social-media-brags/news-story/4516c2b931006a4613d69aca8ed31daa