By Raunak Haldipur
The Bloodhound Project is a global engineering project, centreed around the Bloodhound SSC (Supersonic Car) which runs on a jet engine and a rocket. In 1997, the Thrust SSC car had managed to surpass the speed of sound. 20 years later, on October 26th, the Bloodhound will run for the first time.
It is designed to not only travel faster than the speed of sound but also to achieve a speed of over 1,000mph or 1,600 km/hour. With this speed, the Bloodhound SSC can cover a mile in just 3.6 seconds. It aims to break the current speed record of 1,228km/hr. The plan is to achieve this in two stages- by getting first to 800mph (1,287km/hr) and then to 1,000mph (1609 km/hr). Andy Green, a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot, who has previously held the World Land Speed record on the Thrust SSC, will attempt to break his own record with the Bloodhound.
What does the Bloodhound pack?
The Bloodhound attributes its monstrous speeds partly to a jet engine which will only take it to the speed of 300mph and the remaining speed will be attained with the help of the rocket which is built into the car. There is also a third engine which will serve as an auxiliary power unit which will drive the rocket oxidiser pump.
For a car this fast, it is imperative to have an effective braking system. Thus, the Bloodhound has an airbrake, two parachutes and wheel brakes. The airbrakes are at the rear of the car, one on either side in front of the rear wheels. As they are applied, they produce six tonnes of drag (roughly equivalent to a big elephant). The parachutes are stored at the back of the car, providing nine tonnes of drag when deployed (more than a double-decker bus). The wheel brakes are made of steel and will be fitted on the front wheels only. The project had initially experimented with carbon wheels that are used in aircrafts and high-performance wheel cars, but those wheels had exploded during testing.
Why the Project came about in the first place
The Bloodhound Project was started as an education project to inspire future generations to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by showcasing these subjects in the most interesting way possible. The education programme covers all ages of individuals starting from primary through to secondary and all the way to higher education in the sciences.
Parents of children or any school or teacher in the world can register their details on the Bloodhound SSC website and download the free resource materials. Education institutions in the UK or South Africa can request a visit from a member of the Bloodhound education team or STEM Ambassador who will work alongside a teacher and deliver a presentation on the project. The Bloodhound education programme is also working with other STEM initiatives to ensure that the Project reaches as many schools as possible.
26th October 2017 is surely going to be a moment of truth for the Bloodhound SSC, especially because it has taken 10 years and thousands of man-hours from ideation to execution of this project. We’ll just have to wait and see how the story unfolds.
Featured image source: Cornwall Live