Awesome - Man Creates A 'Death Ray' Strapped To His Car, Gives Neighbors Cause For Concern
Dogs barking. Loud parties. Naked sunbathing in the backyard. You just can't win with some neighbors, but at least these minor annoyances wouldn't cause you to fear for your life. When one man got the idea to strap a giant "Death Ray" to his car and began firing it around his neighborhood, you can bet noise complaints were the last thing on his neighbors' minds.
A Real Mad Scientist
What kind of person would be crazy enough to build such a dangerous device? None other than Kevin Kohler, YouTube's own "Backyard Scientist." Kevin's reputation for wild experiments was known far and wide, yet with this latest effort, the amateur scientist was really looking to push the boundaries.
Unauthorized
He started by reaching out to the aerospace company Northrop Grumman in search of a high-quality laser. Unfortunately, the representative on the phone told him the model he was looking for was only available to the military or U.S. government.
I Know A Guy
And so, Kevin had to get creative. Reaching out to a contact in China, he dropped a cool $1,500 on a state-of-the-art laser, though the item that arrived didn't exactly look like the centerpiece of a so-called "Death Ray."
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Despite producing 200 watts of power, the laser fiber was only 100 micrometers in diameter. To put that into perspective, that's about the size of the average human hair. Yet don't let that fact fool you.
Watch Your Eyes
The beam produced by this laser was both incredibly powerful and invisible — in Kevin's words, it could literally burn out your retinas without you even realizing. Of course, who wouldn't want to see that in action?
Test Run
Well, maybe not the retina-burning part, but Kevin was quick to build a makeshift laser system to test its power for himself. Placing a block of wood just a foot or two from the laser, Kevin threw on his protective glasses and fired.
Burn, Baby, Burn
In just a matter of seconds, the laser burned a hole a half-centimeter deep into the wood! Naturally, Kevin was eager to see what else he could burn with his newest "toy."
Laser Beats Rock
A rock became his next victim, and, just like with the wood, the laser burned through it like scissors through paper. But if this tiny laser could do so much damage to rock and wood, imagine what it could do to metal.
Poor Abe
Well, Kevin didn't have to imagine it, as he then used the beam to melt a zinc penny and superheat a copper one until it was red hot. Yet zapping a few household items was a waste of the laser's potential — Kevin knew he needed to think bigger.
Getting Creative
That's why he decided to convert an old RV satellite mount and remote control into a fully functioning laser aim. This, however, was nothing compared to what Kevin did to the laser itself.
Tech Savvy
Using a variety of telescopic reflectors, voltage converters, and other technical doodads, Kevin created a laser enclosure to focus and strengthen the beam — now, the real fun would begin.
Not Exactly a Vaccine
In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin decided his first target would be "the corona" — a bottle of Corona beer, to be exact. With just a quick blast from the laser, the bottle was blown to smithereens!
Smells Like Toast
Next up was a "laser sandwich," which was just a piece of ham and a slice of marble rye stapled to some plywood. The bread got a quick, precise toast from the laser, though, unexpectedly, the ham was so translucent that the beam instead burnt the wood behind it.
Off With Her Head!
Even the Queen of England herself stopped by for a quick haircut courtesy of Kevin's laser. Unfortunately, it looks like he took a little too much off the top for 'ol Liz's liking. (Brits, you may want to look away now).
Literally "Lighting Up"
Kevin finished off his test by blasting a lighter, which turned into a literal flamethrower as the lighter fluid within ignited. The experiment had proven a fun one, yet what's cooler than firing a laser during the day?
Break Out the Big Guns
Why, firing one at night! Mounting the laser to his car, Kevin and his team headed out to an open field with one mission in mind: shooting the beam into space!
All Systems Ready
Fortunately, there were no airplanes in the area for miles, making this the perfect time to fire. With an infrared camera at the ready in order to make the beam visible, Kevin primed the laser and fired.
Death Ray
Boom! The laser was massive and as bright as could be. But before the beam could ignite the nearby tries, Kevin tilted it up into the night sky.
Shoot the Moon
The beam seemed to go on forever, stretching miles into the air like a gigantic spotlight. Kevin pointed it at everything from stars to distant planets — even the moon got a taste of the powerful laser.
In the Name of Science
In the end, Kevin was really just out to show how lasers work and prove how cool they could be. Sure, building a homemade "Death Ray" was a pretty dangerous stunt, though it was nothing compared to the antics of another well-known daredevil.
"Mad" Mike Hughes
California resident "Mad" Mike Hughes always loved pushing the envelope when it came to public stunts. The 61-year-old made his living as a limo driver, but it was his passion for death-defying acrobatics that truly made him feel alive.
Knievel
Mike loved the wild lives stuntmen like Evel Knievel led. He wanted to do something that would capture the world's attention just like Knievel, so he came up with quite the epic plan.
Launching Into Space
He wanted to build a rocket ship and ride it into space! Set on the idea, he started a fundraising campaign so he'd have enough money for everything required to make an actual working rocket. However, his first campaign run only garnered a little over $300.
Contributions
But pretty soon more and more people learned about his seemingly-impossible endeavor, and donations started pouring in. Especially from celebrities who wanted to take part in this crazy goal.
Locked and Loaded
Mike raked in nearly $8,000 once his idea gained traction. He finally had the money needed to build a (hopefully) working rocket, but his quest for greatness didn't come without speed bumps.
Mike's Plan
Although Mike claimed the Bureau of Land Management gave him verbal permission to perform his rocket launch — so long as the Federal Aviation Administration agreed — the BLM said no such conversation took place.
Mojave
So, Mike moved the whole operation to a privately owned area of the Mojave desert where law enforcement couldn't put a halt to anything. All this planning begged the question: why exactly was Mike doing this to begin with?
Flat-Earthers
Mike belonged to a small group of people who call themselves "Flat-Earthers." He figured if he could get into space he'd be able to prove the Earth was, in fact, a flat disc.
Ice Walls Galore
Sounds pretty odd right? Well, Flat-Earth theorists like Mike believe the Arctic Circle is the center point of the massive planetary disc we all live on. Surrounding the edges of the disc is a 150-foot ice wall that keeps the waters in place.
"What about gravity?"
"What about gravity?" you're probably thinking. Well, these free thinkers are sure gravity is all an elaborate illusion. According to them, this Earth-disc we live on accelerates upwards at 32 feet per second, which keeps us all grounded.
Rocket Man
With a launch plan in place and some funds raised, the "self-taught" rocket scientist built a vehicle that, surprisingly, looked like it had the moxie to actually reach some pretty serious heights.
Launch
For Mike, there was a lot riding on this launch. A successful trip would, in his eyes, lend credibility to something he passionately believed in. Finally, launch day arrived.
Ready for Action
The 61-year-old man loaded himself into his homemade rocket and prepared for the launch that would hopefully see his safe return home. The countdown began.
Screaming
With all the Flat-Earthers cheering him on, "Mad" Mike launched his homemade rocket off his mobile trailer bed on March 25, 2018. Incredibly, the thing took off in a screaming stream of smoke!
Less than 2,000
Mike originally planned on reaching a speed of 500 miles per hour, enough speed to launch him into space. However, the ship only reaches 350 miles per hour, and the parachute deployed at an altitude of 1,875 feet.
Failure
Sadly, Mike's mission to space failed. A crew of paramedics met Mike at the scene where the rocket landed back to Earth. They carefully helped him out, making sure his fragile body wasn't battered and bruised.
Stunts
Even though Mike claimed all he felt was some minor back pain, he was taken to a hospital to make sure nothing serious took place while he was airborne. Sure, he never made it the full distance, but he certainly made his mark on the world of stunts.
Tosh.0
He made such a mark that he caught the attention of Daniel Tosh. The comedian hosted Mike on an episode of his show, Tosh.0, to discuss his failed mission to space and his flat-Earth beliefs. The two also joked about his daring ambition to one day try again.
Demise
While Mike never ended up being the rocket man he envisioned, it wasn't for lack of trying. Luckily his endeavor didn't seriously injure him, and he could exist as a hero to dedicated Flat-Earthers everywhere until he died in February 2020 after another failed launch.
As wild as Mike's goal was, other ambitious thrill seekers have tried their hands at doing the impossible. David Hahn, like Mike, decided to do a little home experiment of his own, and it ended up becoming quite the ordeal.
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