October 15, 1997: ThrustSSC Sets Supersonic Land Speed Record

A Brief History

On October 15, 1997, Andy Green became the first supersonic driver of a car by setting the land speed record of 763 mph (Mach 1.016), driving a twin jet powered ThrustSSC across a measured course and back in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

This historic event occurred 50 years and 1 day after Chuck Yeager became the first person to fly supersonic in level flight.

Digging Deeper

Green is an RAF fighter pilot, no stranger to high speed, also is the holder of the land speed record for diesel powered vehicles with a speed of 350 mph in a JCB Dieselmax car at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006. He is currently working with Richard Noble, designer of the ThrustSSC, on driving the Bloodhound SSC to a target speed of 1050 mph. The Bloodhound SSC is powered by a combination of 1 jet and 1 rocket engine. It even uses a Jaguar V-8 engine (750 hp) as a fuel pump for the rocket.

The new record run attempt may take place in 2015 or 2016 at a 12 mile long track in South Africa. The course has been cleared to also be 2 miles wide. Green will lie feet first when “driving” the Bloodhound SSC, and is expected to reach 1000 mph in 42 seconds, experiencing a force of 2.5 G’s during the acceleration. Braking, accomplished by airbrakes and disc brakes, will apply a force of 3 G’s to Green. The wheels of the super car will turn an astounding 10,200 rpm and experience centrifugal force of 50,000 G’s!

The ThrustSSC is a remarkable vehicle, powered by 2 of the Rolls-Royce jet engines that powered the British version of the F-4 Phantom II, and weighing 10.5 metric tons. During its record run, the car used 18 liters (4.8 US Gallons) of jet fuel per second! (This translates to about .04 mpg US.) The power equivalent produced by the engines at the wheels is 110,000 bhp, or in airplane terms, 50,000 pounds of thrust.

The author could not locate any sort of accurate cost of either of these projects, but considering the extensive development and testing, track preparation, and the years each project takes, the sum must be enormous.

Question for students (and subscribers): Will the Bloodhound SSC break the 1000 mph barrier? Is it worth the effort? Tell us what you think about these hi-tech land speed record attempts in the comments section below this article.

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