Warning: Attempt to read property "post_excerpt" on null in /home/vspdirtl/public_html/wp-content/themes/chromenews/inc/hooks/hook-single-header.php on line 87
There is talk of another attempt to beat the land speed record.
A British team have come up with a car that has the potential to break the current land speed record of 763 miles per hour, held since 1997 by the Thrust SSC (super-sonic car). And by some way.
The Bloodhound SSC
Their new vehicle will apparently cover the length of a soccer pitch in the blink of an eye – literally. In one sixth of a second it would have travelled the entire distance at 1.4 times the speed of sound, and it would only take 34 seconds to travel 10 miles…..
Made from carbon fiber and precision made titanium parts, this vehicle will be assisted by not only a Typhoon jet engine, but also a Falcon Solid-Fuel rocket engine and a V12 racing engine. The jet engine fires first getting the vehicle up to 100mph in 5 seconds, then the rocket engine takes over, powering from 300mph to over 1000mph.
It would have hit the speed of sound at 761mph, so there would have been an ear-shattering sonic boom as the car just kept on accelerating. After having only traveled just over 1 mile, the record will have been broken and the vehicle will be coming to a stop, with the engines cut, the brakes deployed and the parachute inflated.
Why Do This?
If successful, this record will also have overtaken the low-altitude flight speed record too – which currently stands at 994mph. Out of the 109 years the land speed record has been contested, it has been held by the British for 65 of those. Due to the immense forces of the speed and acceleration, the vehicle needs to withstand more pressure than a submarine – requiring the protection from forces of around 12 tonnes per square meter. The wheels will be turning a over 10,500 revolutions per minute creating a g-force of around 50,000 times that of gravity.
When Will It Happen?
Needless to say, the construction of such a precise machine has yet to be authorised, but if allowed, the crew are hoping to begin work next year (2009) and they hope for a world record attempt by 2011. Who is crazy enough to drive the super sonic machine? Who has the experience to handle such tough conditions? Why, Andy Green – the RAF pilot who currently holds the land speed world record of course!
