New land speed record bid launched: 1,000mph, supersonic car

[Roo]

The British team that claimed the land speed record in 1997, taking a car through the sound barrier for the first time, is planning to go even faster.

RAF pilot Andy Green made history in 1997 when he drove the Thrust SSC jet-powered vehicle at 763mph (1,228km/h).

Now he intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h).

Known as Bloodhound, the new car will be powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine.

The team-members have been working on the concept for the past 18 months and expect to be ready to make their new record attempt in 2011.

Bloodhound project leader Richard Noble told BBC News: "This is one of the most exciting things you can do on God's Earth; and when you've the opportunity to do it really, really well, with the latest technology, you can't resist the challenge."

The initial studies have illustrated just how grand a challenge it will be.

The 12.8m-long, 6.4-tonne Bloodhound SSC (Super Sonic Car) will be expected to travel faster than a bullet fired from a handgun.

Its 900mm-diameter wheels will spin so fast they will have to be made from a high-grade titanium to prevent them from flying apart.

The car will accelerate from 0-1,050mph (1,690km/h) in just 40 seconds; and at its maximum velocity, the pressure of air bearing down on its carbon fibre and titanium bodywork will exceed 12 tonnes per square metre.

BLOODHOUND SSC

1. Titanium or composite wheels - rear wheels sit outside bodywork, front wheels are steerable to comply with land speed rules
2. Driver sits behind front wheels and in front of engine air intake duct
3. Carbon fibre and titanium bodywork for optimum aerodynamic performance, reaching top speed over 4.5 miles. Same distance required for stopping
4. Bloodhound powered by Eurofighter jet engine with hybrid rocket attached, enabling car to accelerate from 0-1,050mph in 40 seconds
5. Fins maintain stability and downforce to keep car on the ground
6. Deployable aerostructures slow car at highest speeds; parachutes slow car at mid-speeds; finally, driver halts car with carbon fibre brakes

"This is a big engineering adventure," commented Bloodhound's technical chief, John Piper.

"We've not seen anything yet which we can't overcome given the opportunity and the time. We don't have all the answers yet, but we have quite a few of them, and I'm sure other solutions will present themselves."

Wing Commander Green acknowledges there will be risks involved but says the car will be designed to maximise his safety.

"Does that make it zero-risk? No. Is life with zero-risk interesting? No.

"This is worth making a risk for because it's a huge challenge and a huge prize at the end, not just for the biggest record but to inspire the next generation of engineers, to share it with every schoolchild in the country," he said.

Inspiration is a key driver for the project. The genesis of the idea came from Lord Drayson, the UK's new science minister who also happens to be a racing driver.

He approached Noble and Green when he held a post in the Ministry of Defence to ask them if they could do something that would grab the attention of schoolchildren and turn them to careers in science and technology.

"The consequences if we don't inspire the next generation are that we will wither as a country," Lord Drayson told BBC News.

"Over the centuries, we've been involved in some of the most important scientific discoveries. The Brits are good at science. We have got to make sure the next generation gets the vision, and has the opportunity to maintain that tradition."

As a consequence, a schools programme will be built around the project that aims to involve young people at every stage in the designing and building of the car.

The team's HQ in Filton, Bristol - the "home of Concorde" - will have a schools visitor centre featuring the "classroom of the future".

Richard Noble added: "Our industries are starved of engineers. There are real problems on the education front; and, of course, what we've got now is the environmental challenge coming up.

"There are a vast number of new products that are needed, and Britain simply isn't going to play unless we have the engineers."

Lord Drayson's role has also ensured one key element of Bloodhound has been made available to the project team: the EJ200 jet engine.

The Ministry of Defence is lending the team engines that were used in the flight development programme for the Typhoon. These test engines are beyond combat use but have more than sufficient working time left in them to power Bloodhound.

The EJ200 will produce about 20,000 lbs of thrust (90 kilonewtons) and will sit underneath a hybrid rocket engine that produces about 25,000 lbs of thrust (110kN)

The rocket will provide most of the power to get Bloodhound close to the speed of sound (Mach 1); the Typhoon engine will enable Andy Green to throttle up to the target speed of 1,000mph (Mach 1.4).

Apart from the not-insubstantial in-kind support of the MoD in the loan of the EJ200s, Bloodhound is a private project that will need to raise some £10m in financing.

Parallel to the design effort, a location for the record attempt is being sought. Thrust SSC broke the sound barrier in the Black Rock desert in Nevada, US.

It is known that a number of other teams are also planning an assault on Thrust SSC's mark.

"There are three cars out there right now with varying degrees of credibility and at various stages of advancement," said Andy Green.

"The competition for what we're doing is a very important part of it."

The initial design office for Bloodhound is based at the University of the West of England, where a full-scale mock-up of the supersonic car will be built shortly. Swansea University is also a key early sponsor of the project, assisting in aerodynamics research.

Article & video here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7685049.stm

Because we can, I guess. £10million doesn't sound like much for a project like this though.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Go U.K! Glad to hear they're keen that the project should be a big learning experience for the country.

 

[PeterJB]

4.5 Tonnes?! It's like the Blastolene Special, but considerabely faster!

 

[spyrrari]

unbelievable...but if this goos wrong(hit a little bumb)he could end up as the first brit to go to the moon.....lol.



spyrrari.

 

[Philly]

When are they going to draw the line between "cars" and "airplanes without wings" or just a general rocket?

 

[Jim Prower]

scary, scary, scary vehicle. I wouldn't want to drive something so potentially fast or volatile, not, at least, without a zero-zero ejection seat.

 

[Leonidae]

ejection seat is pointless, since parachute wouldn't have time to open at under 300m altitude. Ejection seat doesn't have enough punch to get that high, not even close.

 

[Keef]

They need one of the SR-71's ramjets. But that would mean lots and lots of fuel, plus special fuel to ignite the afterburners, etc. And maybe it wouldn't work in the dense air down near sea level since they were designed to power the plane at 80,000+ feet...

I hear the US Air Force's F22 has some mad-powerful engines in it. But of course they're probably equally as expensive.

 

[Muzaffar]

Should be really interesting when they actually will do the run. Was quite interesting when I saw them do the land speed record run in the Thrust SSC. Mankind pushing the boundaries in speed to see who is the fastest, it is just an incredible sight to see. But their idea of doing this not only to beat their last land speed record, but to inspire the next generation of engineers is really cool as well. 👍

 

[Jay]

I was actually thinking about this the other day, I am really glad to hear they are going at it again, look forward to it.

 

[ferrari_chris]

Sounds awesome!

I hope it goes well and they break the 1600kmh barrier!

 

[TheCracker]

I like the way it's using a 750bhp V12 fuel pump 👍

 

[Venom800tt]

ejection seat is pointless, since parachute wouldn't have time to open at under 300m altitude. Ejection seat doesn't have enough punch to get that high, not even close.

Zero-Zero ejection seats can work at ground level since they have a very powerful rocket motor and a fast opening parachute. The Zero-Zero means zero altitude and zero airspeed, though of course they can work at higher airspeeds. Failed carrier launches show that they do indeed work (A carrier deck is only about 70 ft above sea level). Now, a supersonic ejection is dangerous at any altitude, let alone sea level. The g-forces and wind blast a pilot (or driver in a supersonic car) have been known to seriously injure and kill. Anyway an aircraft based ejection seat in a car would add several hundred pounds of additional weight, along with increasing costs a lot.

Anyway I am surprised the Thrust SSC's record stood for so long. I would have figured someone else would have already beaten it by now, given how people tend to have a need for speed
If I recall there is another "car" that supposed to go for the record also. Though, this "car" literally is an airplane without wings. An old F-104 Starfighter fuselage that was going to be scrapped. I cannot recall the name of the "car" at the moment though...

Oh, and as far as F-22 engines in a land speed car... lol
Other than the fact that the Pratt & Whitney F119 engine is freakishly powerful for its size (35,000 lbs+, the actual thrust rating is classified) they are also very expensive and can't be bought due to the amount of classified technology they contain
Engines like the Pratt & Whitney F100 and General Electric F110 found in F-15's and F-16's are more practical in terms of trying to buy one, along with the General Electric F404 used in the F/A-18C.

 

[homeforsummer]

When are they going to draw the line between "cars" and "airplanes without wings" or just a general rocket?

I suppose, that the achievement they're aiming for is the "land speed record". There's no mention of the word "car" in the title so as long as whatever breaks the record is actually doing so whilst solidly on the ground then it doesn't matter whether it's powered by an internal combustion engine, a rocket, eight rockets, or hopes and dreams.

 

[Muzaffar]

When are they going to draw the line between "cars" and "airplanes without wings" or just a general rocket?

Well it has four wheels and a steering wheel and it doesn't lift off the ground. Sounds like car to me. (albeit, a freakishly looking car) Either way, if it was not a car, it wouldn't be counted as an official "land speed record".

Anyway I am surprised the Thrust SSC's record stood for so long. I would have figured someone else would have already beaten it by now, given how people tend to have a need for speed
If I recall there is another "car" that supposed to go for the record also. Though, this "car" literally is an airplane without wings. An old F-104 Starfighter fuselage that was going to be scrapped. I cannot recall the name of the "car" at the moment though....

I couldn't remember as well (saw it on TV a long time ago), but was it this by any chance?

If so, then this was called the North American Eagle. If you were wondering why there was no challenge against the Thrust SSC was because most people didn't follow the official record set by the FIA (having 4 wheels, do both runs in either direction, having to turn the car around to do the other run in less than 30 minutes, etc.) cause if it wasn't official then there would certainly many more people gunning for the record...... The Budweiser Rocket did considered the first car to hit Mach 1, but because it was an unofficial run, somehow most people just tend to forget about it......

 

[ferrari_chris]

I think ejecting from a car will be more of an issue than the type of ejection seat or anything. Even the zero-zero seat mentioned needs room to work.

If a plane gets into trouble, it will fall or spin and (provided the pilot isn't already dead) the pilot can eject no matter the attitude of the plane - upside down, side on, whatever.

In a car, the seat is only going to work if the car is on all four wheels so the seat can travel into the air. If this is the attitude of the car, then there's probably no need or desire to eject (even with a "I can save it!" mentality). However, when it comes time to eject, such as when the car is flipping out of control, ejecting is not an option as that's liable to thrust pilot and seat directly into or across the desert...

 

[groundpounder48]

This is simply mind boggling. I can't imagine going 1,000 mph in a car. It says he will be doing 12 miles in 2 minutes! The technology behind this is something only thought of by evil geniuses lol.
Read the article yourself:http://gma.yahoo.com/supersonic-car-designed-become-worlds-fastest-173137516--abc-news-tech.html

 

[Ddrizle]

One minute mishap & it'll be a fast way to those pearly gates. Good luck.

 

[Wiegert]

Haven't heard much about this for a couple of years, but at least the land speed record attempt is still on course to take place either next year or 2014.

Also, as mentioned in the article in the previous post, the purpose-built rocket was tested earlier today. Link

 

[Exorcet]

I think ejecting from a car will be more of an issue than the type of ejection seat or anything. Even the zero-zero seat mentioned needs room to work.

If a plane gets into trouble, it will fall or spin and (provided the pilot isn't already dead) the pilot can eject no matter the attitude of the plane - upside down, side on, whatever.

In a car, the seat is only going to work if the car is on all four wheels so the seat can travel into the air. If this is the attitude of the car, then there's probably no need or desire to eject (even with a "I can save it!" mentality). However, when it comes time to eject, such as when the car is flipping out of control, ejecting is not an option as that's liable to thrust pilot and seat directly into or across the desert...

The ejection seat would allow an escape before the car starts flipping over.

I'd image the SSC has as much instrumentation and data logging as a fighter and its own mini NASA control room full of engineers.

 

[alexlam24]

The ejection seat would allow an escape before the car starts flipping over.

I'd image the SSC has as much instrumentation and data logging as a fighter and its own mini NASA control room full of engineers.

Or just James may naming his spanners and wrenches. Hey look I found Dave!