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A California man who planned to launch himself 1,800 feet high on Saturday in a
homemade scrap-metal rocket — in an effort to "prove" that Earth is flat — said
he is postponing the experiment after he couldn't get permission from a federal
agency to do so on public land.

Instead, Mike Hughes said the launch will take place sometime next week on
private property, albeit still in Amboy, Calif., an unincorporated community in
the Mojave Desert along historic Route 66.

"It's still happening. We're just moving it three miles down the road," Hughes
told The Washington Post on Friday. "This is what happens any time you have to
deal with any kind of government agency."

Hughes claimed the Bureau of Land Management said he couldn't launch his rocket
as planned on Saturday in Amboy. He also claimed the federal agency had given
him verbal permission more than a year ago, pending approval from the Federal
Aviation Administration.

Representatives from the BLM and the FAA did not immediately respond to requests
for comment Friday.

Hughes said he had originally intended to arrive in Amboy on Wednesday to start
setting up the rocket. The BLM's denial, along with some technical difficulties
— a motor in his modified motor home quit working for a day — threw a wrench
into his plans, according to Hughes.

"I don't see [the launch] happening until about Tuesday, honestly," he said. "It
takes three days to set up. ... You know, it's not easy because it's not
supposed to be easy."




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