Saturday afternoon there was a first in the long history of Michigan stadium. During the pre-game of the Purdue vs. Michigan Big Ten showdown, a rocket man (Eric Scott) delivered the game ball with a jet pack strapped to his back. According to AnnArbor.com, Scott relied on hydrogen peroxide-filled tanks to propel him to the southeast end zone of Michigan Stdium.
“The game ball for the Michigan-Purdue game was delivered in a futuristic manner on Saturday: via rocket pack.
Powered by a hydrogen peroxide jet pack strapped to his back, pilot Eric Scott flew from atop of southeast end of the Michigan Stadium to above the uprights in the north end zone before circling back around and delivering the ball at midfield.
The scene seemed straight out of “The Jetsons” or “The Rocketeer,” and Michigan fans received Scott with a rousing ovation.
Scott is in the Guinness Book of World Records for speed in a rocket pack (68 mph) and distance traveled (1,500 feet) in a single flight.
How does this rocket pack work? As Scientific American.com explains, “the rocket packs consist of two cylinders of liquid hydrogen peroxide and another container of highly pressurized nitrogen gas. This forces the hydrogen peroxide into a gas generator, where it reacts violently with a catalyst made of silver to produce a stream of steam superheated to 1,370 degrees Fahrenheit (743 degrees Celsius). This hot gas vents through two nozzles, one on each side of the pack, providing an upward thrust”.
It has been reported that Denard Robinson has been wearing one these packs for his first three years at Michigan.
[Mgoblog for the pic & info, Youtube user Mhask33 for the video]
