thrustssc

12.02.09

The Race to 1,000 MPH

Britain’s Richard Noble, the reigning king of land speed, is building a rocket on wheels to shatter his own record. The only problem: A ragtag American team might beat him to it

By Mike Spinelli Posted 09.17.2009 at 9:45 am 26 Comments

The sun doesn’t rise over the Black Rock Desert in Nevada; it ignites. One minute the blaze-orange glow of dawn is cascading down the sulfur-rich Jackson and Kamma mountain ranges, tinting the prehistoric lakebed a million shades of pink. The next, it’s full celestial throttle. By 6:30, the sun is blinding and the heat is ratcheting up.

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Zero to 1,000 in 40 Seconds

More than a decade after the Thrust SSC project exceeded Mach 1 on land, Richard Noble and company plan to go really fast

By Mike Spinelli Posted 10.23.2008 at 10:59 am 13 Comments

Back in 1997, RAF wing commander Andy Green proved breaking the sound barrier on land wouldn't destroy the universe. Now, a successor to the ThrustSSC, the jet car Green piloted a decade ago on Nevada's Black Rock Desert, is in the works. Target: 1,000 mph.

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