Tag Archive for 'Rocket'

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Bloodhound SSC?

Bloodhound SSC

The Bloodhound SSC is more rocket than car, and aims to shatter the current world land speed record with a goal of 1,000 mph, or 31% faster than any four-wheeled vehicle has gone before.

Powering the Bloodhound SSC is a jet/hybrid rocket mix that uses a rocket for its raw power and a lack of draggy air intake, and a Eurojet EJ-200 jet engine for controlled output that allows the Bloodhound SSC team to increase Mach numbers in small, careful steps.

In addition to power, the Bloodhound SSC needs to be controllable, so little winglets above each wheel act as fully dynamic trimmers that make small adjustments in microsconds to maintain constant wheel load up to Mach 1.4.

Bloodhound SSC Detail

In the middle of the Bloodhound SSC sits a MCT V12 race engine that makes over 800 horsepower. This might sound like an impressive figure, but when you’re goal is 1,000 mph, it’s not even close to what you need, so the V12 is just there for hydraulic power, starting the EJ-200, and pumping more than a ton of High Test Peroxide through the Falcon rocket in just 22 seconds at 1200 psi.

Another important element of a car like this that few people think about is the airflow. The fin needs to be a balance of high speed stability and low speed wind resistance, and even the rear wheel covers have been designed to minimize drag caused by the airflow around the wheel, since an unprotected wheel would see oncoming airflow at the top reach speeds of Mach 2.8 if left unprotected.

So what does a run to 1,000 mph look like?

Bloodhound SSC Record Run

Bloodhound SSC will accelerate from rest using an EJ-200 jet engine, taking it up to 300mph.
At that point (a) the rocket will be ignited, so that it and the jet are operating simultaneously, thereby increasing the acceleration to well over 2g.

Having reached maximum speed (1,050mph), the rocket thrust will be stopped (point b), but the jet engine will continue burning for a few seconds.

During this brief period, the car will decelerate at about 1.5g. When the jet engine also stops (point c), the deceleration will peak at nearly 3g.

When the vehicle slows to subsonic speeds the aerodynamic drag will reduce dramatically, slowing the deceleration of the vehicle. Two additional deceleration peaks are shown on the curves (points d and e), indicating the release of two parachutes. At low speeds, below 200mph, hydraulically operated disc brakes can be used.

The land speed record is calculated from the average times of the car over two runs (to eliminate the effect of wind and other variables) so the car must then stop, refuel, turn around, and do the run all over again within an hour to claim the title.

Can they do it?

We’ll just have to wait to find out, but it sure looks like they’re taking steps in the right direction!

[Bloodhound SSC]

…It’s TGI Friday: Soda Bottle Rocket?

Fireworks might be outlawed in most fire-prone places, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun this Fourth of July weekend by shooting things into the sky.

Make has put together a fantastic set of instructions for creating your very own Soda Bottle Rocket, and before you know it, you’ll be shooting rockets into the night sky like the big boys.

[Via: Make: Blog]

…It’s Things Thursday: Valentine One?

Alex Roy

When Alex Roy drives, Alex Roy drives fast.

The veteran of numerous rallies, races, and records, he recently drove from New York to Santa Monica in 31 hours and 4 minutes, beating the previous transcontinental record by over an hour. To give you an idea of the kind of speed it takes to break a record like that, think about this: Roy needed a sustained speed of almost 90 miles per hour.

For 31 hours!

So what kind of technology does it take to pilot a four-wheel rocket through 31,000 highly trained highway patrol?

  • Tasco 8 x 40 binoculars with a Kenyon KS-2 gyro stabilizer
  • Military spec Steiner 7 x 50 binoculars
  • Bumper-mounted L-3 Raytheon NightDriver thermal camera
  • Flush, bumper-mounted Blinder M40 laser jammers
  • Redundant Garmin StreetPilot 2650 GPS units
  • Preprogrammed Uniden police radio scanners
  • Ceiling-mounted Uniden CB radio with high-gain whip antenna
  • And last but not least, a Valentine One radar/laser detector

Valentine One

Since 1992, Valentine has been making a radar detector that refuses to loose. It’s a company that only makes radar detectors, only make ones model of radar detector (constantly upgraded with the latest technology), and only makes the best radar detector, so you know that they mean business.

On my recent trip to Las Vegas for the SEMA show, I had a chance to check out the capabilities of my newly purchased V1, and I must say, I was beyond impressed. Not only did it constantly keep me aware of what was going on around me (the patented arrows tell you with amazing accuracy if the radar is in front of, beside, or behind you), but it also saved me from at least one sure-fire ticket.

Coming down a hill with a clear lane and a tailwind, my car was more than happy to break the posted speed limit, and trusting in the powers of the V1, I was more than happy to oblige.

Suddenly, the V1 flashed Ka band, and maxed out the signal strength indicator, showing sure signs of a cop ahead. Heading the warning, I quickly brought the car down to posted speeds, and peered ahead for the awaiting cruiser. After about a mile of driving, I came upon the hidden cruiser, tucked neatly under an overpass with his radar gun pointed directly down the road that I had just traveled. Just past him though, there were three other cruisers parked and waiting to pick up what the radar gun picked off. It was a speed trap, and thanks to the V1, I had easily avoided it.

Chock one up in the V1 win column.

Though you can’t exactly call the Valentine One cheap, it’s a definite case of you get what you pay for. (And it’s also probably cheaper than getting a ticket.) Plus, if Alex Roy trusts it to drive across the country, shouldn’t you trust it to drive the kids to soccer? (Quickly.)

Also, having tested out a few other radar detectors over the years, I can confirm Valentine’s claims that the V1 is the easiest to use, most reliable, and gave the best warning time out of the bunch.

Your driving record will thank you.

(For more information about Alex Roy’s record run, check out his book, The Driver, and his documentary, 32 Hours 7 Minutes.)

[Valentine One]

[32 Hours 7 Minutes]

[Wired Magazine - The Pedal-to-the-Metal, Totally Illegal, Cross-Country Sprint for Glory]

[Team Polizei 144]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Formula Drift?

Formula Drift Logo

On Saturday, I had the chance to go and see Formula D’s “The Finals” at Irwindale Speedway (yes, I did get stuck on Interstate 5 on the way down from San Francisco due to that massive accident), and I must say, if you’re at all a fan of the four wheeled machine, make sure you check out one of Formula Drift’s events at a track near you.

Pontiac Solstice

If you’re not familiar with the sport, think of drifting as two automotive ballerinas battling it out in a boxing match. It’s gracefully controlled mayhem, and in my opinion, it’s easily the best form of four-wheeled entertainment on the planet.
Continue reading ‘…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Formula Drift?’

…Rockets need to use the force?

X Wing

Andy Woerner and a team of rocketeers built a 21-foot-long X-Wing model that was designed to fly using four solid-fuel rocket engines. With a wingspan of over 19 feet, R2-D2 at the wheel, and wings that were designed to move during flight, it was destined to be quite a show.

And quite a show it was:

I guess they should have used a bit more force.

[Polecat Aerospace - Star Wars X-Wing Fighter]

[Via: Gizmodo]

…The 2-20 Club is no longer a secret?

2-20 Club Logo

Lost track of how many zeros are at the end of the numbers in your bank account?

Forgot that bills come in sizes smaller then one hundred?

Mastered the universe?

Then you may get offered admission into one of the world’s most exclusive (and expensive) clubs.

How exclusive?

Membership is capped at 20, and only 11 members have made the cut so far.

How expensive?

Try £100,000 up front, followed by £1,000,000 per year just to retain your membership.

So what does that kind of cash buy you?

How about yachts (they’ve got two hundred-footers), helicopters (they’ve got a pair), jets (they’ve got four, including a Gulfstream G5), and more?

More?

Well since you asked: Five star travel, a Bugatti Veyron, a collection of exotic autos, private islands, and access to just about any club or event that you can imagine (think anything Vegas, sporting events, award shows, parties and more).

Plus, there’s a team of researchers, operations managers, logistic managers, transport managers, global operations managers, account managers, asset managers, and consultants on hand at all times to meet your every need.

Not enough?

Then check out what you get when the paperwork finally clears:

2-20 Club Partner Pack

The membership card and the box are made form aerospace grade titanium, the box is covered in Japanese urushi lacquer, and the Centre of Membership tag features metal crafted form a decommissioned space rocket.

Ready to join?

Not so fast. Members must first be nominated by a current member, then seconded, then interviewed before even being considered for a spot.

So what’s this all about then?

Called the 2-20 Club, it’s an asset and contact sharing partnership for the best of the best hedge fund managers around the world, often known simply as ‘Masters of the Universe’.

What does it take to become a master?

Cash, and lots of it.

The name 2-20 comes from the source of that cash, as 2 and 20 is the standard fee arrangement in the hedge fund industry. Managers make 2 percent of assets under their control, and 20 percent of profits after a predetermined benchmark has been met.

If that sounds like a lot of dough, then you’re right, because it is.

With top managers making profits in the billions, 20 percent adds up quickly, and you’ll soon find yourself on a Forbes list spending Franklins like he’s going out of style. (Combined assets of the group are an estimated quarter of a trillion dollars!)

But here’s the thing: You shouldn’t even know about the 2-20 Club.

That’s because until recently, the club was a secret society, carefully shielded from the curious eyes of the world around it.

Why then, are you hearing about it now?

Well, unfortunately for the club, one potential inductee had already wired his £1,000,000 fee when a party that he was hosting on one of the club’s yachts got a little out of hand, and the six figure damage that he caused was not looked kindly upon by current members. (Estimates of the damage are in excess of £650,000.) The club decided to revoke his membership, and he decided to reveal the club to the general public.

Rather then let him run rampant with the story, twisting it into his own version of the truth, 2-20 contacted DYH and decided to break the story first.

So here it is; the world’s first sneak peak into the lives of the super rich.

Ready to join? Then have that black American Express card waiting, because a chance like this doesn’t come around often. (Or, for most people, ever.)


…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Meth Rocket?

Meth Rocket

Though it’s not exactly a performance improvement, two crafty drug runners from Missouri sure did do some tricky modifications to their vehicle. Though their plan seemed foolproof, their execution surely was not.

The ‘meth rocket’ that they designed was supposed to fly out of their trunk if they were stopped by the cops, and was activated by a series of pulleys and the car’s cigarette lighter.

Unfortunately for them, their rocket didn’t go skyward when the red and blues started flashing, and they were pulled over in possession of two pounds of methamphetamines and 41 Viagra tablets.

Sounds like quite the party.

[DEA]

[Via: Gizmodo]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: SSC Ultimate Aero TT?

SSC Ultimate Aero

SSC might only have one model, but what they lack in variety, they make up for in heart. That’s because SSC wants to challenge the big boy and take on the Bugatti Veyron for the title of World’s Fastest Production Car. Their pride and joy, the Ultimate Aero TT, isn’t just some kit car with a prayer though; it’s a low-slung beast with power to spare.

Features include 1183 horsepower coming from the twin turbo V8, rear wheel drive, carbon fiber body, 14” brakes, a .357 drag coefficient, and a one-year, unlimited mile warranty (no, really). The end result is a rocket to 60 in 2.78 seconds, a quarter mile time of 9.90 seconds at 144 mph, 1.05 gs on the skidpad, and the ability to go from 0 to 100 to 0 again in 11.66 seconds.

So how did it do on its high speed test run? Not too bad considering the run was cut short by snow! The driver managed 230 mph with just 56% of 6th gear’s throttle, and felt that there was “a lot more to go”. There better be, because the current record is 253 mph (as verified by Top Gear). I’ll be sure to keep you up to date on the progress that gets made towards the record, but until then, make sure to:

  1. Check out the site and ogle a few of the pictures
  2. Catch the car on Spike TV’s Bullrun
  3. Stand in front of it if Eddie Griffin gets behind the wheel.

[SSC Autos]

[SSC - Quest For The Record]

[Bullrun]

…Top Gear built a space shuttle?

Top Gear Rocket

Top Gear, the very popular British automentary (television documentary about autos), stands by the motto “Go big or go home”.Recently Richard Hammond, one of the show’s presenters, was seriously injured after crashing a rocket-powered car at over 300 MPH.

Now, their latest debacle was an attempt at building and launching a space shuttle out of a Reliant Robin (a car not found in the US). The goal was to launch the car, and then glide it back down to the ground via remote control, though that’s not exactly what happened. (Skip to about 2:29 left in the video if you just want to see the good stuff).

[Via: Autoblog]

…Lazer tag is a hackable sport?

Scorpion

Mike Yates lives for lazer tag. He isn’t just content with off the shelf gear though, because OTS doesn’t get you any respect when it’s time to play. Instead, Mike tweaks, modifies and creates his own custom weapons, in this case the Scorpion, a Mil-spec gun featuring a four rocket magazine attached to the top. The rockets are foam-tipped IR-emitting “RPG” rounds that normally fire off of hand pumped pressure. Not wanting to waste time on the battlefield pumping his gun, Mike modified his to fire using a 3000psi air tank controlled by four Mac pneumatic relay/solenoids pushing air through full stainless steel plumbing. Excessive? Yes. Necessary? Mike would say so. The gun also includes a high-powered sniper rifle capable of tagging victims at over 1,500 ft, and a trigger/grip for the rockets sourced from an actual tank. If you’d like to join in, check out Hasbro’s Lazer Tag Team Ops line, which the Scorpion is based on. Just be prepared for some heavy tinkering if you want to play with the big boys.

[Lazer Tag Team Ops]

[Via: Finkbuilt]

[Via: MAKE: Blog]




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