Bloodhound car: Building the bullet

Andy Green will defend his title as fastest man on land in 2011 when he attempts to break the land speed record for a second time.

In 1997 the former RAF pilot whizzed across the Nevada desert in a jet-propelled car at 763mph. Now he is looking to reach 1,000mph.

The £10m bid has attracted support from some of the UK's top engineers and scientists under the umbrella of a private venture called the Bloodhound Project. The three-year mission, led by former land speed record holder Richard Noble, will build a 12.8m long, 6,422kg fuelled, jet and rocket-powered vehicle that will be as tough as a submarine and faster than a speeding bullet.

Researchers from the UK's National Physical Laboratory have been working hard for the past year to make sure that the wheels do not, literally, fall off the entire project. The NPL, with researchers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment and Fluid Gravity Engineering (FGE) have advised the world-record bid team on the Bloodhound supersonic car's wheel and rocket designs, two of the most high-risk aspects of the world record attempt.