** FUN WITH ROCKETS **



This is the 28 Feb 05 edition of this page.
It is clear that much fun can be had with rocketry. Use the following links to see that fun can either be with:-


  • (a) mind games with feasibility designs, or
  • (b) actual hardware trials, or
  • (c) actual hardware competition.

    ** MIND GAMES FIRST:- **


     One can, as I have done, investigate the designs of:
    (a) Rocket bikes
    (b) Rocket cars
    (c) Rocket hovering and personal flying machines

    The design feasibilities can be aided by "National Aerospace Specification Tables" - and these are probably published annually. These will, generally, give a whole range of size and thrust options for any design imaginable.
    Writing a simple program can then enable one to assess the performance of each 'creation' and get some 'feel' and enjoyment of its possibilities.

    A - ROCKET BIKES



    My first such 'bikes' were powered by the Little Joe rockets (as used in the 'Little Joe 2' test vehicle). My trials in the late 80's showed such a bike achieving a speed of 374.2 mph. However, later developments and a 9 gallon fuel tank, showed one averaging 423.529mph over a measured mile.

    A 'Little Joe' rocket has a thrust of just 600lbs but they were used in 'clusters' of three for its 1800lbs thrust. The earlier bike weighed 550lbs but the LSR version weighed 565lbs!!

    A more powerful bike based on the 'MIRA8K' rocket (weighing 910lbs) had an available thrust of 8000lbs. Early work showed it reaching a peak speed of 467.5mph but only a mile-average of 387.097 mph. It needed a larger fuel-tank to enable it to go further and use more of its available thrust (only 5000lbs used to until then).

    Combinations of "Little Joe" PLUS "MIRA 8K" were tried. The next stride was with a cluster of FOUR 'Little Joes' with a bike weighing 650lbs and a 25gallon tank. It reached a peak of 495mph with a mile-average of 471.429mph. Progress!!!

    After several stages of development, a "Stretched MIRA 8K" with a 40gallon tank, reached a peak speed of 578.2mph and a one-pass mile-average of 521.739mph. Its weight needs a fair degree of strength to drive at low speeds - and it was thought at one time that outriggers (legal for a 'bike'?) or gyroscopes would make it easier.

    B - ROCKET CARS

    I designed (in 1991) and evaluated the following hypothetical vehicles (i.e not with any specific real motor in mind):-

    (i) A Mach1 Vehicle

    This had a mere 12000lbs of thrust, was 20feet long, and with a 5 mile runway at a very cold temperature and reached 687.1mph with its Hydrogen Peroxide (throttle-able)engine and 300gallons of that potent fuel.
    My rocket-cars, with their high-speeds over such short distances with low drag-factors, all required substantial reverse-thrust to slow down.

    (ii) A 1000mph vehicle

    Next, I played with a 22foot long vehicle with 22000 lbs thrust and 410 gallons of hydrogen peroxide. It achieved 1007.6 mph on 8March91.

    (iii) A Mach2 car

    This was the 23feet long vehicle with 35000lbs thrust weighing 2tons.In a very cold climate, it reached a maximum of 1253.7mph using 725galls of fuel and just 8.25 miles of track (on 12:3:91).

    (iv) First 1500mph car

    This was a 24foot variant (weighing 1.5 tons) having 50000lbs maximum thrust on a 7.5 mile track. It reached 1526.9mph on 19March91.

    (v) First 2000 mph car

    The date for this design and 'run' was 20:3:91 when the 28ft car reached 2012.5mph with its 80000lbs thrust motor in its 2Ton bulk. It consumed 1150galls of H2O2 and took 9miles of track. This was still of the basic "Design1" cars.

    (vi) Fastest car over 10mile track

    This was the incredible 125000lbs thrust vehicle, which had a maximum acceleration and deceleration each of 7g - and reached 2136.5mph on 25:3:91. It was still of the "Design1" category. This surely represents the LIMIT for a human-being travelling at ground level on PLANET EARTH!!

    C - ROCKET HOVERING VEHICLES & FLYING MACHINES

    These were essentially of the 'Personal Transport' type, with a rocket-pack attached to one's back. Flying the simulator proved (probably) more difficult than the real device. See the section that deals with the REAL items.

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    ** ACTUAL HARDWARE TRIALS:- **
    I will not go into great detail at this stage now, but will point out SOME of the vehicles that I know of that have reached practicality. They will receive more details in a later edition of this Web - and also contain some hypertext linkages to other sites.

    ROCKET BIKES

    Bikes that come immediately to mind are:-

    1. The late Henk Vink bike that appeared at Santa Pod Raceway - the other year. Currently, I can't find the details and references. According to one of my readers from the Netherlands, "He passed away pretty long ago" and he'd met him back in the 80's when he was 'demo'ing his H2O2 bike.

    2. The bike ran by Rosco McGlashen in the past until the Aussi authorities (for safety reasons) banned it from appearing in public.

    3. Currently, Richard "Rocketman" Brown is endeavouring to crack the World TWO-WHEELED record for Britain on his Rocket-powered bike. For some details, you can see my updated Report No32 in my WLSR section of this web.

    ROCKET CARS

    1. Various WLSR designs that failed to achieve, fully, their objectives.

    2. The only Rocket Car to make the WLSR books. That car was the fabulous Blue Flame which held the record for the late Gary Gabelich before Richard Noble broke it in 1983 with Thrust2 (a jet car).

    3. Sammy Millers's "Vanishing Point" cars which graced the drag strips of the world. They were all Rocket Funny-Cars!!

    4. Sammy Miller's prospective WLSR vehicle, originally claimed, theoretically, to be capable of 0 - 900mph in 20 seconds. [My own analyses confirmed that claim - but other problems were to arise with the design]

    5. Sammy Miller's later hybrid rocket/jet car - abandoned in the recent 1995-97 WLSR trials & attempts.

    ROCKET HOVERING VEHICLES & FLYING MACHINES

    1. The rocket back-pack that dramatatically opened the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

    2. The rocket back-pack (same one?) that appeared a few years ago in demonstrations at Santa Pod Raceway. It was on the same bill, I believe, as both Henk Vink's bike and one of Sammy Miller's Vanishing Points. What a day!!!

    ROCKET VEHICLES FOR THE VERTICAL

    There are many clubs and associations in the USA for this amateur fun-thing. Gets pretty serious though. One day, one amateur may actually get one of these small things into space!!

    There are quite a few sites on the Web that cater for their interests - and, would you believe it, the Brits are "in there" too. For instance, try the Aspire Link for the "The Aspire Space Rockets"
    of the British Amateur Space-Rocket Programme. There's fun for you!!

    It's also worth while looking at their WAVERIDER Test Programme links whilst there!! It is by STAAR, which is the Scottish Rocket Programme.

    ROCKET SLEDS

    Currently, a guy from the USA, a long devotee of rocketry etc, is planning an attack on the World LandSpeed Record for any vehicle. It is a rocket-sled and is intended for 800 to 1000 mph (without wheels!) - my reports on it are to be found in the Sonic Wind reports of Report 31.

    STEAM-ROCKET DRAGSTER

    Juan Manuel Lozano EMailed me from Mexico, on Friday the 13th November '98, concerning the rocket vehicle that he's building. Sounds very interesting. He's got a renewed interest in rocketry, rekindled long-after his first encounters some years back. His site is well-worth a visit.

    He E-Mailed me again on 15 May 99 saying (and I quote) "Arvil is making the frame and I did all the rocket system and I plan to run it before the end of 1999 of course you will be invited!".

    Sounds a nice offer, but Mexico is a long way from Malvern!! .

    Guess I'll have to decline the kind offer - I wish him great success!

    ARVIL PORTER'S VEHICLES

    As a "blast-from-the-past", why not visit the Arvil Porter's Rocket Cars page?

    I'm sure that you'll find that he was an exciting character!!

    ARNOLD NERCHER'S VEHICLES

    Even MORE impressive in its content was the set of amazing SPEEDY vehicles brought to my attention by Arnold himself in an EMail in Late January 2003. You, too, can access details of his amazing vehicles in
    Arnold Nercher's Pages

    KY MICHAELSON's WEB

    Also VERY impressive in its content was the WEB dealing with ROCKET vehicles (and much more!) brought to my attention by Ky himself (Rocketman since 1951) in an EMail in late June 2003. You, too, can access details of his facilities (specified and priced) in
    The Rocketman's Pages

    Everything for the 'DIY rocketeer' seems to be in Ky's shop! No wonder he's a legend in the field!!!



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    ** ACTUAL HARDWARE COMPETITION:- **

    There is the NRCA in America (The National Rocket Car association) which races & tests rocket cars. Try the above link to their web-site.


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    EMail (?) to: Roy's Location.
    Return to Roy's home page for full list of books either finished or under preparation, -
    PLUS access points for other interesting matters!