This BBC documentary, titled “To Mars By A-Bomb – The Secret History of Project Orion“, is one of the most fascinating 60 minute films I’ve seen so far this year. It tells the story of Project Orion, an incredible Cold War project to launch a 10,000 tonne spacecraft into space by setting off small yield nuclear bombs underneath it.
It sounds like science fiction but in the late 1950s, this was a serious program run by NASA, and it came a lot closer to happening than many people realise. The project was run by George Dyson who features heavily in this documentary, telling the history of the still partially classified NASA program in his own words.
If you like this sort of thing I suggest you grab a strong cup of coffee and hit play, you’ll be glad you did.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Joel Clark is a British artist who specializes in an intricately layered vinyl technique, often using automotive parts like car doors and hoods to capture a glimpse of a passing, momentary reflection and freeze-frame it. The series started when Joel bought a car door on eBay, cleaned it up, and set about painstakingly cutting vinyl…
The iconic Fisher Bullet Space Pen, named for its sleek bullet-shaped rounded ends, has long been celebrated as an icon of mid-century modern design, and you’ll find examples in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection as a symbol of American industrial design. The Myth Of The Million Dollar NASA Pen vs Soviet Space Pencils The Space Pen…
The Ford P68, otherwise known as the F3L for “Ford 3 Litre”, is a sports prototype racing car that should probably be just as famous as the Ford GT40 that preceded it. It was essentially a closed-wheel, two-seat Formula 1 car powered by the then-new and unproven Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 Formula 1 engine. The project to…
The new Mercer CPO Riding Shirt was developed by Jane Motorcycles to be a shirt suitable for motorcycle use – particularly for those who ride in lower-speed urban environments in the warmer summer months and choose to forgo wearing a jacket due to the heat. The team at Jane Motorcycles have the main shell made…
Flying boats were initially considered to be the only way to feasibly build large aircraft successfully due to the fact that they didn’t need heavy and complex landing gear, just a hull-shaped underside allowing them to touch down on water – the water itself would act as shock absorber and runway. The great benefit of…
This McLaren MP4/8 was the car driven by Ayrton Senna to his record-setting 6th win at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, beating the previous record holder Graham Hill, and setting a record that would remain unbroken to the modern day. The car that would give Ayrton Senna his final Monaco win is now due…
