Jet pack madness

Spotted this link via Instapundit: a Popular Mechanics article reporting on the first jet packs to be put on the market. Considering that you'd have to pay in the six figures for a rocket belt weighing 124 to 139 pounds and good for only a half-minute of flight (not counting the plummet at the end when the fuel gives out unexpectedly).

What really caught my attention was the fuel used -- hydrogen peroxide -- because I remember reading years ago about the H2O2-fuelled Me 162 "Komet" rocket interceptor, including an account of one that landed hard enough to rupture fuel lines, dissolving the pilot by the time rescuers could get to him. Perhaps this story was an exaggeration, but probably not: industrial-grade H2O2 typically comes in 35% and 70% concentrations, and even the 35% has to be handled with care as it is a powerful oxidant that can give nasty burns. Rocket-grade is more concentrated still (80% appears to be what was used in the Komet) -- so the Popular Mechanics article is rather wide of the mark in calling it "inert".

More on rocket belts here; I also ran across this discussion, in which the risks of H2O2 as a propellant were felt to be exaggerated.

Posted by David on June 18, 2007 10:41 PM