Rocket sled

Rocket sled that reached Mach 8.5 .

A rocket sled is a simple rocket-propelled vehicle . It can be a sled in the traditional sense, i.e. a vehicle running on runners, like the RAK BOBs built in the late 1920s . In contrast, the rocket sleds used today are mostly vehicles with a linear guide .

function

Rocket sleds are usually used for scientific experiments, sometimes also for world speed record attempts.

Rocket sleds are also used in the development of new missiles. For example, trials to develop new warheads are to be carried out at Holloman Air Force Base on behalf of the US Department of Defense . The rocket sled experiments are expected to cost $ 10 million, but will replace real-world rocket test flights that would cost $ 300 million.

history

John Paul Stapp on a rocket sled

Between 1947 and 1951, a total of 74 manned runs with rocket sleds took place at what is now Edwards Air Force Base , in which the effect of strong accelerations on the human organism was to be researched. In this context, John Paul Stapp , who was briefly exposed to 46.2 g in the braking phase of one of these runs  - the highest g-force (negative acceleration) that a person has ever voluntarily endured , became known in this context . The experiments brought numerous new findings that contributed to improving security in civil and military aviation, e. B. for the development of new aircraft seats.

Records

The currently valid world record for land vehicles was set on April 30, 2003 with a four-stage rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base . The speed of the rocket sled was Mach 8.5 (10,325 km / h).

Picture gallery

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literature

• Ekkehard Gärtner: Record runs azd rails. Top speeds on track, on air cushions and with maglev technology from 1825 to 2015 . Minirex, Lucerne 2018, p. 114f.

Web links

Commons : Rocket sleds  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html
2. ↑ ^{a b} Test sets world land speed record ( Memento from June 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ The Fastest Rocket Sled On Earth at www.impactlab.net
4. ↑ http://www.ejectionsite.com/stapp.htm
5. ↑ The Fastest Man on Earth (Part 2 of 4) ( Memento from January 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ Crazy experiments: When researchers play crash test dummy Part 3: Crash test: The world's fastest brakeman Spiegel Online, June 10, 2009