When I first set eyes on the Bloodhound
SSC, its incredible size made me gasp.
It’s actually 40 feet in length, the size
of a London double decker bus! Sleek
in structure with a gleaming blue and
orange body, you can’t help but admire
the rocket-shaped nose and at its foot, a
Union Jack flag. It’s a bespoke car – that
means that it is specially built to order
as a unique design. Plus it’s the kind
of car that makes everyone dream of
taking a ride in it.
So what makes it so fast? It’s a car built
to use jet and rocket power.
iTECH
The outside is made from a very light
and strong metal called titanium.
Although titanium is expensive, it gives
the SSC an advantage because it helps
it travel faster and won’t disintegrate
at high speed. Inside there’s the most
powerful jet engine in the world for its
weight. It’s designed by Rolls Royce,
and runs on aviation fuel, the same kind
used in aeroplanes.
You’ve got a fast car: an introduction to Bloodhound
https://youtu.be/jcUD_xGOpro
A jet engine on wheels only provides half
the power needed to reach 1,000mph,
so there is a second engine. This one is
a rocket - similar to the rockets used to
put satellites into space. It burns a type
of rubber as fuel, and to make it really hot
they pump oxygen in, very quickly.
It’s not ordinary oxygen from the air,
but a special liquid type called Hydrogen
Peroxide. Put that together with the fuel,
and the car’s exhaust gets very hot very
quickly! These hot gases stream out of
the back of the car, pushing it rapidly
forward.
SPARK
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