As part of his continuing mission to determine if the Earth is shaped like a Frisbee, 61-year-old limousine driver and Flat Earth researcher “Mad” Mike Hughes launched himself aboard his homemade steam-powered rocket into the sky in the Mojave Desert on Saturday, March 24.

“Mad” Mike Hughes launches himself in his homemade steam-powered rocket on March 24. Source: Matt Hartman via AP

Painted with the words “RESEARCH FLAT EARTH,” the green-and-white vehicle reached a top speed of around 350 mph (563 km/h) and a maximum altitude of 1,875 ft (572 m). As the rocket began to fall back toward the ground, Hughes deployed a parachute to slow its descent. He popped another parachute just before landing, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a hard touchdown. The nose of the rocket split into two pieces as designed and Hughes was attended to by paramedics, although he walked away with only an aching back.

According to the AP, the launch attempt was almost scrubbed due to a steam pressure reading of only 340 psi (2,344 kPa), short of the targeted 350 psi (2,413 kPa). Nevertheless, Hughes decided to move forward with the launch.

Previous launch attempts were held up by mechanical issues and the Bureau of Land Management, which expressed concerns about a flight over public land. A vertical liftoff this time prevented any encroachment on public land. Before launching from privately-owned property near Amboy, California, the rocket was supported in its nearly vertical orientation by a makeshift ramp constructed from pieces of a mobile home.

Hughes works to repair a steam leak after scrubbing a March 6 launch attempt. Source: James Quigg/Daily Press via AP

Of course, the altitude Hughes achieved was hardly sufficient to make any definitive statements on the Earth’s curvature. For that, he’ll need to travel higher.

In the future, Hughes hopes to build a rocket-carrying balloon called the “Rockoon” to float a rocket high into the atmosphere before releasing it to blast to the edge of space 68 miles (109 km) up. At this height, he intends to obtain photographic evidence of Earth’s curvature, or the lack of it.

It’s an open question as to why Hughes doesn’t just take a flight aboard a commercial jetliner, which cruises at altitudes exceeding 35,000 ft (10,700 m), the height at which the curvature of Earth becomes apparent.

The real ambition behind Hughes’ homemade rocket launching attempts might be a desire for publicity.

“My story really is incredible,” Hughes told the AP. “It’s got a bunch of story lines — the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, plus the Flat Earth.”

He plans to run for governor in the future.