SCOUTS from Chippenham got the chance to get up close with the equipment which will power the Bloodhound SSC during its attempt to break the land speed record.

The group of 31 Air Scouts, Explorers and Sea Scouts visited the Bloodhound Technical Centre just outside Bristol earlier this month where they had a chance to tour the facilities and were given a talk by chief inspirer of the Bloodhound project, Rob Bennett.

The youngsters, aged between 10 and 17-years-old, were then able to create their own rocket cars which they then tested.

Chris Jones, leader of 10th Chippenham Air Scout Troop, said: “A tour of the workshop floor allowed the scouts to get up close and personal with the hardware and made the whole project very real for them.

“They were able to view up close the EJ200 engine that will power the Bloodhound through the 1000mph barrier in South Africa.

“To finish off the tour, the boys and girls were split into teams to produce their own model cars, and then in darkness of the car park got to shoot them, down a wire with the speed being measured.

“The winner clocked an impressive 45mph with rocket motors spewing out raw power into the dark of the night.”