SpaceDev Expected to Provide Rocket Motors
Rosco McGlashan, the "Fastest Aussie on Earth" will attempt to
become the fastest man in the world by exceeding 900 mph in his new
rocket powered Aussie Invader race car. McGlashan announced that he
is engaged in ongoing design discussions for the world's fastest
car with rocket motor developer SpaceDev of Poway, CA, and with car
designer John "Ackers" Ackroyd of the Isle of Wight.
In 1997, McGlashan was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for
driving a jet-propelled car to a speed of 642 mph. McGlashan
announced that he will attempt to set a new World Land Speed Record
in a car propelled by a rocket motor which he expects to be
provided by SpaceDev. SpaceDev recently provided the critical
rocket motor propulsion technology for the history-making
SpaceShipOne in its winning of the $10 million Ansari X Prize on
October 4, 2004.
"This is an exciting once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I have
been looking forward to for most of my life," said McGlashan
(below). "The only way these speeds can be accomplished is with the
power produced by a rocket motor, and the only rocket motor I trust
and that has a successful track record is the rubber-burning hybrid
rocket motors developed by SpaceDev, and that is why I have
selected SpaceDev and Ackers, pending project funding."
SpaceDev has provided preliminary conceptual designs and
analyses of high thrust rocket motors equivalent to 200,000 HP.
McGlashan said he intends to put SpaceDev under contract to develop
and deliver the rocket motors, immediately upon raising initial
funds for this project. SpaceDev's non-exploding rocket motors use
inert synthetic rubber as the fuel, and to make the rubber burn,
the motors use nitrous oxide (N2O), commonly known as laughing gas,
as the oxidizer. Several months ago, McGlashan approached SpaceDev
to design, build, test and integrate the world's largest rocket
motor of its kind into the race car in a facility near SpaceDev's
headquarters.
"I am very proud that Rosco approached SpaceDev to determine the
feasibility of powering the world's fastest car, and that he
intends to contract with us to design and provide the rocket motors
for his race car," said Jim Benson, SpaceDev's founding chairman
and chief executive. "I love a challenge, and this would be a
really fun application for SpaceDev's unique rocket motors. We are
seriously investigating this opportunity, and are assisting Rosco
in his fund-raising efforts. We recently helped create the world's
first private sector astronauts, and now we have been asked to help
Rosco become the world's fastest man!"
The 16,000-pound race car is expected to be designed by John
"Ackers" Ackroyd of the Isle of Wight. Ackers designed the World
Land Speed Record setter Thrust 2 which "stopped the clocks" at 633
mph in 1983 at Black Rock in Nevada. Ackers has also worked with
the Aussie Invader Team for many years as well as several hot air
balloon projects and countless special projects where a fast
thinking, no nonsense engineer is mandatory.
The project is expected to take three years and cost less than
(US) $10 million. McGlashan is busy planning the design and
development of the Aussie Invader and its rocket motor with Ackers
and SpaceDev, and has mounted a money raising campaign to obtain
the necessary funding for the project. Sponsors and contributors
are being sought from throughout the world for this highly visible,
challenging, and history-making attempt.