Brian Walker, mad scientist and all around crazy person, plans to shoot himself 20 miles into the air in a homemade rocket launched from the world's biggest crossbow. The rocket, which has a jet turbine with 1,350 pounds of thrust, will shoot off the track of the giant crossbow shown above, which is equipped with a 24-foot carbon-fiber bowstring. At the peak of his flight he'll be traveling at a comfortable 10 Gs, and he'll be wearing a $15,000 surplus Russian space suit to stay safe, because everyone knows the Russians will sell anything for a price. His jet is modeled after spaceships from Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica (never heard of it), and he hopes to either set the record for highest flight in a jet shot from a big crossbow, or at least have the coolest obituary ever. He'll be testing the whole thing out on a big fiberglass arrow to make sure he won't disintegrate before making it 20 feet, but if all goes according to plan (and the FAA gives him the hesitant go-ahead), he should be launching himself this fall. Godspeed, Mr. Walker. — Adam Frucci

World's Largest Crossbow, Uber-review

Update: The original version of this article erroneously identified the federal organization giving Walker the go-ahead as the FCC. Thanks to an eagle-eyed commenter, the article now identifies the correct organization, the FAA.