See the Bloodhound SSC in Pretoria before record attempt

by AdminBraaiApril 22, 2015April 21, 2015

The opportunity to have a close look at a jet-powered car built to clock at 1000 mph (1600 km/h) is not one to miss. You have only until this Friday, April 24th, to view the Bloodhound Supersonic car (SSC) before it goes on its record-setting mission on a barren stretch of land in the Northern Cape in September/October.

The BloodHound SSC is currently on display at Merensky II Library at the University of Pretoria and it’s a sight to behold. It’s a fusion of car and aircraft technology, according to engineers, weighing 7.5 tonnes (7500kg), it is 13.4m long and produces a whopping 135 000 horsepower.

Andy Green, a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, will be the man behind the wheel when the the BloodHound SSC hits the track in Hakskeen Pan, not far from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape.

Apart from the goal of going faster than the speed of sound, this project hopes to foster interest in the fields of technology, science, engineering and mathematics among the youth and in the general population.

Bringing the BloodHound SSC to South Africa is a project by theNorthern Cape Provincial Government and the Department of Science and Technology.

You can follow the BloodHound team on Twitter for details on how kids around the world are using this ambitious project to make learning more fun. Make sure you get to the University of Pretoria for your photo op before it is too late.

This article first appeared on htxt.africa.

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AdminBraai

SciBraai, a proudly South African NPO dedicated to science journalism, communication and outreach. SciBraai began on Heritage Day 2013 - Anina Mumm and Engela Duvenage in 2013 launched the website, scibraai.co.za, to feature stories about South African research, technology and innovation, and the people behind the discoveries. This blog welcomes all South Africans to go behind the scenes of local science and exploration endeavors. It’s a place to share stories about the scientists themselves and the interesting, little-known activities that are often left out of research journals. A place to learn more about the stuff that makes South African science and its people tick. A place to feel inspired about what South Africans are discovering on home soil and abroad. Because local is lekker, no matter what language you use. SciBraai's following has grown in the past years, and we are now on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We've also begun organising real-life braai's where we share round-the-fire stories about South African science and scientists.

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