The Blue Flame was the high-performing, ultra high-speed,
rocket-powered vehicle which achieved the world land
speed record on Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on
October 28, 1970.
The vehicle was constructed in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Reaction Dynamics, a company
formed by Pete Farnsworth, Ray Dausman and Dick Keller
who had developed hydrogen peroxide rocket dragsters.
The Blue Flame used a combination of hydrogen peroxide
and liquified natural gas (LNG), pressurized by helium
gas to eclipse previous speed records set with jet
engine powered vehicles.
Liquified natural gas was
used in the actual record-setting performance but
at a lower ratio of LNG to the hydrogen peroxide
oxidizer than would be used at maximum design thrust.
This
was the original plan for the record runs in 1970.
The effort was sponsored by The American Gas Association,
with technical assistance from the Institute of Gas
Technology of Des Plaines, IL.
The Blue Flame's record
1014.656 km/h (630.478 mi/hr) lasted for 13 years
and was set as an average of achieved speed in both
ways ((629.412 + 631.367)/2= 630.478 miles per hour).
The driver, Gary Gabelich, was of Croatian ancestry
and native of San Pedro, California.