A car, propelled by the unusual method of detonating large explosions in a parabolic blast shield at the rear of the vehicle, to propel it forwards.

Loud, inefficient, fun and reliant upon conventional explosives for motive force. No nuclear propulsion, as proposed in the Russian spacecraft propulsion system. That would probably be a little too unpopular.

We've learned not to step in front of cars; it's time to learn not to step behind them.
-- UnaBubba, May 31 2012

Rocketships Laser Propelled Light Craft http://www.youtube....watch?v=5_9ac-w4DW8
[Inyuki, Jun 01 2012]

The (non-nuclear) Orion scale test http://www.critical...nuclear-detonations
It would be a hell of a bumpy ride... [neutrinos_shadow, Jun 01 2012]

Well, OK.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 31 2012


Well, OK what?
-- UnaBubba, May 31 2012


OK. So, what kind of blasts, anyway?
-- Inyuki, Jun 01 2012


I dunno about cars, but the concept was tested for rockets (linky).
I always thought it would be more efficient to use the explosive (or other) energy to propel the mass out the back at high speed - a more focussed use of the energy than a big bang behind, most of which doesn't help the vehicle.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Jun 01 2012


Rocket and jet-powered cars are kinda baked, though not used on city streets. This one's more like a giant bombardier beetle on wheels.
-- UnaBubba, Jun 01 2012


Blasts? Whatever the manufacturer can convince governments to allow. Maybe hydrogen and oxygen? Maybe peroxide and powdered rubber? HTPB & NOx, perhaps.
-- UnaBubba, Jun 01 2012


Citroen C4
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jun 01 2012


Thank you, [AWOL].
-- UnaBubba, Jun 01 2012


Bungston already came up with this. I thought it was so great I sent it to Mythbusters. Never heard back from them though. Here's the email:

"Can you make a car powered by dynamite?"

Ratings gold. I'll put the letter together.

Dear Mythbusters,

I'm writing on behalf of a small group of science aficionados who frequent a online forum where we propose and discuss various ideas and inventions ranging from practical to absurd. In one thread we were talking about the Orion project which was a spaceship concept that proposed using a series of nuclear explosions detonating against a shock absorbing plate to propel it through space.

I had the totally original idea without any help from Bungston whatsoever to have you guys see if a smallish remote control car could be powered by a series of explosions from dynamite or other explosive being dispursed from the car and detonated against a shock absorbing back plate to provide forward movment.

One approach would be to simply have a few dozen sticks of dynamite in some metal grid or honeycomb arrangement so they're seperated from one another such that they might be detonated in sequence without causing the whole thing to blow. But if it didn't work, hey, big explosion, ratings gold, everybody wins.

If the remote control gear proved to be too expensive, perhaps an ancillary character on the show like a cameraman or sound technician could drive the car so nobody important would get hurt.

Signed, Doctorremulac3 on behalf of the fun folks at halfbakery.com.
-- doctorremulac3, Jun 01 2012


Driving this thing would be like the square wheel episode.
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 01 2012



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