The Bloodhound rocket car has another year of development ahead of it before Wing Commander Andy Green of Britain’s Royal Air Force attempts to accelerate it to speeds upward of 1,000 miles per hour (the current land speed record is 763 miles per hour). In the meantime, the project is teasing us with glimpses of just how powerful this supersonic vehicle’s power source will be. Earlier today at Newquay Airport in Cornwall, UK, the development team test fired the rocket engine that will power the Bloodhound across the flats of South Africa next year. Hold on tight.
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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Competitors like that 1000 mph mark. From a development standpoint, I'd say that it will be slow going to get to more than 12-1300 mph, which we'll be lucky to see in 6-8 years. It's easy to think that materials science will change the game, but it's an easier thing for me to imagine a watercraft breaking Mach 2 than a ground vehicle.
How about taking that one on if you are successful with your current hot rod; Commander?