Editing Rocket sled (section)

{{Short description|Test platform pushed by rockets along a track}}
[[Image:Rocket sled track.jpg|thumb|250px|Lt. Col. [[John Stapp|John P. Stapp]] rides the rocket sled at [[Edwards Air Force Base]]]]
{{for|rocket launches assisted by non-rocket powered guideways|rocket sled launch}}
A '''rocket sled''' is a test platform that slides along a track (e.g. set of rails), propelled by [[rocket]]s. 
[[File:Sonic Wind No 1.jpg|thumb|right|Sonic Wind No 1. This rocket sled was ridden by John Paul Stapp in the 1950s.]]
A rocket sled differs from a [[rocket car]] in not using wheels; at high speeds wheels would spin to pieces due to the extreme centrifugal forces. Apart from rare examples running on snow or ice (such as [[Max Valier]]'s RAK BOBs of the late 1920s<ref>{{cite web|title=Ein schneller Schlitten|date=30 December 2013|url=https://blog.deutsches-museum.de/2013/12/30/ein-schneller-schlitten|publisher=Deutsches Museum|access-date=2024-02-17}}</ref> and Harry Bull's BR-1 in 1931<ref>{{cite journal |last=Winter |first=Frank H |author-link=Frank H. Winter |title=Harry Bull, American Rocket Pioneer |journal=AAS History Series |volume=9 |pages=291–312 |year=1989 |publisher=Univelt |publication-place=San Diego |issn=0730-3564 |url=https://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/inostr-yazyki/iaa/1989/Winter_Harry_Bull_American_Rocket_Pioneer.pdf |access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref>), most rocket sleds run on a track. Although some rocket sleds ride on single beams or rails, most use a pair of rails. [[Standard-gauge railway|Standard gauge]] (1.435&nbsp;m / 56.5&nbsp;in) is common but sled tracks of narrower or wider [[Track gauge|gauge]] also exist. The rail cross-section profile is usually that of a [[Vignoles rail]], commonly used for railroads. Sliding pads, called "slippers", are curved around the head of the rails to prevent the sled from flying off the track. Air cushions and magnetic levitation have also been used as alternatives, with potential benefits including reduced sled vibration.

A rocket sled holds the land-based speed record for a vehicle, at [[Mach number|Mach]] 8.5.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fastest Rocket Sled On Earth|date=16 January 2006|url=http://www.impactlab.com/2006/01/15/the-fastest-rocket-sled-on-earth/|publisher=impactlab.com|access-date=2008-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522173022/https://www.impactlab.com/2006/01/15/the-fastest-rocket-sled-on-earth/|archive-date=2022-05-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>