A California man who said he wanted to fly to the edge of outer space to see if the world was flat or spherical died when his DIY rocket blasted off into the desert sky and plunged straight back to Earth.

"Mad" Mike Hughes was killed on Saturday afternoon after the crash on private property near Barstow, California.

UGC footage showed the rocket taking off, with what appears to be a parachute tearing off during the launch.

The steam-powered rocket streaks upward, then takes around 10 seconds to fall straight back to earth.

Modern flat Earth societies are organisations that promote the belief that the Earth is flat while disputing the Earth's sphericity.

#FlatEarth #MikeHughes #RocketLaunch

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