Two specialised trailers are being constructed to house and transport ThrustSSC, the Team, and much of the support equipment - the first (which will carry ThrustSSC itself) has been designed and constructed by Tilt Teckniek in conjunction with the transport specialists, Plane Trucking, while the Operations Trailer which will house the Team during runs is under construction in Q Shed. Carrying the computers used to monitor the car, the communications equipment used to transfer data and Internet updates between the desert and the UK, and the mobile workshops that are so vital to a venture like Thrust, it is being insulated, air-conditioned and fitted out to protect the delicate electronics.
Towing this vital equipment around the world will be two magnificent trucks provided by Scania. Among the first examples in the UK of Scania's new model range, the first of these powerful machines has already arrived at Q Shed and is hard at work fetching and carrying the many heavy items required by the build team. Transport Manager Brian Palmer is delighted with his new charges, and has no doubt of their ability to handle the work asked of them.
Towing ThrustSSC across the desert, and carrying the fuel and generators required by the Start Teams to prepare and service the car poses some particularly unusual problems. Meeting the challenge perfectly are the two Supacats provided by Supacat Ltd., Traction Equipment (Stafford) Ltd., and Alvis plc. Already immensely popular with the team for their superb terrain-crossing ability and impressive handling, Richard Noble predicts that these vehicles will be "a huge hit with the public"!
More information about the Supacats can be found in ThrustSSC - Supacats, while Jeremy Bliss, ThrustSSC Vehicle Systems, explains how the team will use them in Supacat Fuel and Generator Pack for Thrust SSC.
Onboard computers on ThrustSSC will monitor and record information from over 140 sensors measuring such varied factors as suspension loads or driver Andy Green's steering input. Transmitted by the computers back to the Operations Trailer, this information will enable the ThrustSSC Team to study and correct the car's behaviour in a way never before possible with a World Land Speed Record Car. Although thousands of miles from their UK base at the Defense Research Agency in Farnborough, England, the team's engineers will be able to analyse the data using powerful supercomputers back in the UK by means of a satellite link.
Provided by Hughes Network Systems, and transmitting through a 1.8m 'antenna' transported in the Operations Trailer, this will allow the team to transmit data back to the UK for analysis and to receive the results, as well as to keep the Internet site updated with the latest news. Indeed, the target is to have information about each run on the Internet site within ten minutes of the car stopping!
More information about the Satellite Link can be found in The Internet Link To The Desert.
Alongside all this equipment, of course, work continues to complete Thrust SSC ready for its upcoming engine tests and low-speed test runs on the neighbouring runway.
The car will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from the evening of Friday June 21st until Sunday June 23rd, accompanied by the support vehicles and ThrustSSC Team. For more details, please see our Roadshows page.
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The author of this article, Robin Richardson, is ThrustSSC's Interactive Projects Manager. Robin is the founder of the Mach 1 Club. |
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