Tesla Roadster Plus SpaceX Thrusters Equals Rocket Car
Just how fast could a Tesla Roadster with SpaceX thrusters actually go? It looks like the addition of SpaceX cold-gas thrusters that will be hidden behind the car’s license plate could lower Roadster’s 0-60 mph time to just 1.1 seconds.
The following video provides exacting Technovelgy.com readers with the physics.
(The physics of Tesla's rocket-powered Roadster)
I don't know when the phrase "rocket car" entered science fiction, but actual prototype rocket cars were probably first.
In March 1927 another Austrian, Max Valier, convinced Fritz von Opel, manufacturer of Opel cars, to strap a rocket to the back of one of his racing cars. The test of the car, dubbed the Rak. 1 (from the German rakete for rocket) was a fizzer because the rocket was fighting against the friction of the car’s tyres. Valier later developed a more streamlined Rak. 2, which had 24 rockets and reached a top speed of 145m/h (238km/h).
She started the car again and zigzagged toward the barrier through
the stopped or slowly moving traffic.
As she neared the barrier the car
surged and lifted, clearing its top by
a negligible margin. She set it
down rolling on the far side...
Lazarus finally let his jaw muscles
relax and breathed out gustily.
“Whew!” he sighed. “I hope we
won’t have to do that again.”
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/29/2020)
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