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MythBusters Pilot 1: Jet Assisted Chevy, Pop Rocks and Soda

Air Date: January 23, 2003

Could a car with a JATO rocket attached speed up to 300 mph (480 km/h), become airborne, and impact with the side of a cliff?

busted

Adam and Jamie could not acquire real JATO rockets from the Air Force. As such, they used 3 amateur rocket motors of equivalent power to one JATO rocket. The rockets increased the speed of the car considerably. Although no speed measurement was made, the speed was clearly nowhere near the 300 mph suggested in the myth. The car also did not become airborne.

This myth was supersized in Episode 87.

Eating and drinking large quantities of Pop Rocks and cola will cause one’s stomach to explode.

busted

There was not enough carbon dioxide produced by the reaction to make a stomach explode. The subject would, however, experience considerable pain.

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11 Comments

  1. sam:

    The Mythbusters should try diet coke and mentos

    July 18, 2007 at 3:51 PM
  2. Cpt. Cranky:

    Guess you didn’t see episode 80: “Grenades and Guts”

    August 15, 2007 at 11:25 PM
  3. 42Adult:

    Remote control, size of car, speed, rockets, all from the air… Fun… Like Adam said “What could be better”… On a bike?

    “Could a car with a JATO rocket attached speed up to 300 mph (480 km/h), become airborne, and impact with the side of a cliff?

    busted

    Adam and Jamie could not acquire real JATO rockets from the Air Force. As such, they used 3 amateur rocket motors of equivalent power to one JATO rocket. The rockets increased the speed of the car considerably. Although no speed measurement was made, the speed was clearly nowhere near the 300 mph suggested in the myth. The car also did not become airborne.”

    August 17, 2007 at 6:54 PM
  4. Rick S:

    The car was still in gear, and the engine would have considerably slowed the car down. They needed to take it out of drive and put it into neutral when they hit the rockets.

    January 4, 2008 at 12:10 PM
  5. Used Corvette:

    I bookmarked your blog, thanks for sharing this very interesting article

    October 31, 2008 at 5:31 PM
  6. Adam Arbiser:

    can you take a bunch of explosives and blow up something and have one of the biggest explosions ever or something for the fun of it

    January 14, 2009 at 8:10 PM
  7. larry:

    the magazine mopar action put a rocket on top of a 1974 fury,,,,it landed in a barn,i forgot what speed it went air born at,,,i actully tried to buy that back issue they wont sell- it for legal reasons-lololol

    February 17, 2009 at 4:37 PM
  8. Alif Fitri:

    Hello mythbuster i want you to test this.
    what will happen if two bullet hit together
    (——–><——–)
    like this.
    Please.

    August 23, 2009 at 2:44 AM
  9. conm haktan:

    What was the song playing in this episode and the one followed this episode? There was a credit to Bob Brozman & Daniel Thomas but I couldn’t find the exact song.

    September 9, 2009 at 4:56 PM
  10. Michael Henderson:

    Dear Adam and Jamie can you shoot a hand gun went you make it curve a same time?

    October 1, 2009 at 3:07 AM
  11. Sheldon:

    Dear Mythbusters can you test wat would happen if you shoot a bullet into another gun

    October 21, 2009 at 6:29 AM

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