6th October 2009

Laughing gas and a bag of sweets raised more than a chuckle when a scientist aimed for the moon on BBC1’s Bang Goes The Theory.

As shown on TV, the resulting toffee-powered rocket shot a railway trolley along a test track at 150mph before crashing.

Presenter Jem Stansfield had previously experienced the sweet smell of success when riding a toffee-powered bicycle at 50mph at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

Ray Wilkinson, principal lecturer in Aerospace Design and Rocket Propulsion at Hertfordshire University, believes the experiment could help scientists find more sustainable rocket fuel.

He says: "We are obviously not proposing that rocket manufacturers or jet companies start thinking about using toffee to fuel their engines, but they could consider more environmentally-friendly materials.

"Rockets do not necessarily have to be run on materials derived from oil, as there may be alternatives that perform well and are very viable."

Toffee works so well because it has lots of calories, and it is the calorific value of the fuel that determines how much bang you get for your buck.

Thus a bag of sweets combined with laughing gas - nitrous oxide, the source of the oxygen needed for combustion - and you are an instant car insurance provider’s worst nightmare.

Said an over-the-moon Stansfield: "Gone are Nasa’s billion dollar rockets. The future is from the supermarket!"

Copyright © Press Association 2009

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