0:00:02 > 0:00:06Action Man - since 1966 he's been a palpable presence in the bedrooms,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09on the bookshelves and in the subconscious of small boys
0:00:09 > 0:00:10and the adults they became.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15In that time real men have been to the moon,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19they've circumnavigated the globe on foot, they've quelled rebellions
0:00:19 > 0:00:23and they've run the London Marathon dressed as a giant banana.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28But what has this so-called man of action actually done?
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Absolutely nothing.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Yet!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Here on Toy Stories we've built a full-sized house out of Lego,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58united towns with toy trains
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and nations with toy gliders.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Contested the world's toughest race
0:01:03 > 0:01:06and spanned yawning chasms with Meccano
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and hacked off the horticultural establishment
0:01:09 > 0:01:11with a massive lump of Plasticine.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14But what do we do with this bloke?
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Action Man!
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Now he's got eagle eyes that actually move.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23On the lookout for action, he's all action.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Look out for all these fantastic uniforms specially
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- designed for...- Action Man!
0:01:28 > 0:01:30..and his eagle eyes.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32For the first time on Toy Stories,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I'm dealing with a toy I don't actually like
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and I'm not alone.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Action Man - not really an interest, to be honest.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41I think Action Man's a wuss.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42I don't think he's that good.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45They were considered to be dolls, weren't they?
0:01:45 > 0:01:47He looks a bit rubbish, really.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49His clothes are pretty tatty.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Yeah, I don't know who he is.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54He's not, like, amazing.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55He's average.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Erm, see? These are falling off.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02I don't like Action Man, I like dinosaurs instead.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05He is useless.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08He just sits around looking knock-kneed like some vacant,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11militant Abercrombie & Fitch sales assistant.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Of all the toys, Action Man is, ironically,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16the hardest to elevate to glory.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21He should be a trailblazer, an inspiration to other toys,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25going boldly, with gripping hands, where no toy has gone before.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28We need to put the 'action' back into Action Man.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31With a challenge that will test his mettle, or plastic,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34to its limits.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37He needs to do something no toy has done before.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Something that was a landmark achievement for real man.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46We therefore believed we should commit ourselves to achieving
0:02:46 > 0:02:48the goal, before this programme is out,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52of sending Action Man to the speed of sound and beyond
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and returning him safely to the Earth.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59We choose to go to the speed of sound,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01- VOICE ECHOES:- We choose to go to the speed of sound
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and do the other things,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06not because it is easy but because it is hard.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17First, we need to get to the bottom of this sound barrier business,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20so there now follows a bit of popular science, which is
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the sort of thing my director, Tom, normally hates.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26But I thought I might get away with it if I deliver my lecture while
0:03:26 > 0:03:29breaking the sound barrier myself in this,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32the Eurofighter Typhoon.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Whoa!
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Whey!
0:03:48 > 0:03:50INAUDIBLE MESSAGE FROM PILOT
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Is that 5,000 feet?
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Bloody hellfire!
0:03:54 > 0:03:57So what is the sound barrier?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Sound is just the air vibrating,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03that's why there's no sound in space
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and no-one can hear you scream - there's no air.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09This is our Typhoon
0:04:09 > 0:04:10travelling subsonically,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12slower than the speed of sound.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15The vibrating air is being pushed ahead of the plane,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16like the bow wave on a boat.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20But when you approach the speed of sound,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23the air becomes ever more compressed.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27At the speed of sound, the oncoming air is no longer being warned of
0:04:27 > 0:04:28the aeroplane's approach.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30The result is a shock wave
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and the sonic boom.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34SOUND OF SONIC BOOM
0:04:34 > 0:04:37In the 1940s, the sound barrier was thought to be exactly that -
0:04:37 > 0:04:39a barrier.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41As propeller-driven aeroplanes like the Spitfire
0:04:41 > 0:04:45neared the speed of sound and died, the compression of the air
0:04:45 > 0:04:48shredded propellers and caused controls to lock up.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52A lot of people just flew straight into the deck.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54But on October 14th 1947,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57American test pilot, Charles "Chuck" Yeager
0:04:57 > 0:05:02finally broke the sound barrier at the controls of the Bell X-1.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06There was no sound barrier
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and, today, going supersonic is all the rage.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10PILOT: Supersonic.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Just to show what a piece of cake this sound barrier is,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16well, if you've got a £65 million front line fighter aircraft,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19we'll do it now just outside Morecambe. In fact, we've done it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24We're just approaching Mach 1.1, I didn't even notice it.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28That is an aeroplane ahead of its sound.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Oh, and there it is slowing down.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Jeez!
0:05:31 > 0:05:32PILOT: Subsonic.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And there we are, a mere dawdle.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Thank you, skipper.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Now, before you all start tweeting, no,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I'm not going to just take Action Man up in the cockpit with me -
0:05:43 > 0:05:45that would be cheating.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47And, unfortunately, the BBC refused to give us
0:05:47 > 0:05:5165 million quid for an Action Man sized Eurofighter
0:05:51 > 0:05:54because they'd spent it all on The Great British Bake Off!
0:05:54 > 0:05:57So, let's have a look at the performance of the best
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Action Man sized aeroplane we could afford.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Now, the normal use for this is to fire hailstones at components
0:06:05 > 0:06:08of real aeroplanes to make sure they can withstand impacts up in the sky.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10That's the barrel of the cannon.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13We've sort of converted it to something a bit like the steam
0:06:13 > 0:06:15catapult of an aircraft carrier.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17A rod is fired from the cannon,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20drags a sledge along the rail on the top,
0:06:20 > 0:06:21the Harrier is mounted on that
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and is flung off as it reaches the end of its travel.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Our plastic Harrier, like Buzz Lightyear in that other,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32inferior Toy Story, is officially not a flying toy.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But...what if it were going really fast?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We start with the catapult set at 200 PSI,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42seven times the pressure of a typical car tyre.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Right, we're ready, Sim.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50Firing in three, two, one...
0:06:50 > 0:06:51# Action Man!#
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Jeez! - HE CHUCKLES
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Not so good.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00'As I said, not a flying toy.'
0:07:04 > 0:07:07It is possible that we're slightly overcomplicating this.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Who'd have thought it, eh?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But a miniature aeroplane capable of supersonic speeds,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15but still able to come into a slow, controlled landing
0:07:15 > 0:07:17somewhere near where we're standing,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19that's quite a tall order.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21We make things like bridges
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and very slow motorcycles out of Meccano, that sort of stuff.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26We need something a bit simpler.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33He's in. You join us at a very exciting moment.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35This is what we've decided to do.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38A free fall Action Man jump from the stratosphere,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40followed by a parachute descent to Earth.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Using a large weather balloon,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46we'll take Action Man up in a specially designed capsule
0:07:46 > 0:07:50covered in cameras and kit, transmitting information back to us.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53He'll free fall from the balloon, go supersonic
0:07:53 > 0:07:54and we'll go and recover him.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57If you think you've seen something a bit like that before,
0:07:57 > 0:07:58you're absolutely right.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01# We're living on the edge! #
0:08:01 > 0:08:04In 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped from a helium balloon
0:08:04 > 0:08:09in the stratosphere at a height of 128,000 feet.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16On the way down he reached a speed of Mach 1.25,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19one and quarter times the speed of sound.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24He remains the fastest unassisted person on, or indeed above, Earth.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28The balloon and the mood are buoyant.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29Argh!
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Argh!
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I'm going to start the cameras in the pod.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- Is that all right? Everybody happy? - Yeah.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Oh, wow, wow.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Yeah, here we go.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- Don't release it yet. I'll say, "Go," yeah?- Yeah.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Our attempt is a sort of 1/6th scale version of the famous
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Baumgartner jump because...
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'With hindsight, that was all I really needed to say,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59'but it's a momentous occasion.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01'I had some arousing rhetoric prepared.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:04We're hoping for well over 100,000.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08'And unfortunately, during my homage to Alan Whicker,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10'the wind picks up.'
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Action Man is also going to free fall and if this goes according to plan,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16he will parachute into an enormous welcome,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19a ticker tape parade through a model village somewhere
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and a permanent place in the display cabinet of toy fame.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- Are we ready?- I've got to go.- Go!
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Argh!
0:09:32 > 0:09:34BEEP!
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- That beep was Steve saying, "Oh,- BEEP!"
0:09:38 > 0:09:42In the four hours it takes us to recover the top of the capsule,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43summer rolls in.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51We just had an absolute shower,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55which is bad because water on here obviously at altitude could freeze.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Action Man's got his jumper slightly wet
0:09:57 > 0:09:59and he also appears to have wet himself.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm not surprised really. I would if I were going to do this.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Finally, there's a brief break in the clouds.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Balloon is go.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11THUNDER RUMBLES
0:10:11 > 0:10:14But the weather is threatening.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16We just have to hope Action Man will pass through
0:10:16 > 0:10:19the approaching thunderstorm before it hits.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Yes!
0:10:23 > 0:10:26As Alan Bean said, "What a ride!"
0:10:26 > 0:10:29MUSIC: Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones
0:10:35 > 0:10:37To the chase car.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Duh, duh-duh, duh, etc.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Target altitude is about 105,000 feet,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50so that's not quite as high as Baumgartner went
0:10:50 > 0:10:53but, to scale, it's six times as high as he went.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Going up very, very well.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03He's still going up, which is what we want.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It may not be for long, though - we've been too slow.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The storm is enveloping Action Man.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17As we saw from our first attempt,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20any buffeting might dislodge the capsule.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Too much turbulence and this will all be over.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28There's such a wealth of information coming through on here.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Temperatures, position, temperatures of our cameras.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39The one thing we don't have remotely is an accurate speed measurement
0:11:39 > 0:11:41for Action Man when he falls.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44We'll have to recover him for that...
0:11:44 > 0:11:45if we can.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Meanwhile, up in the air, Action Man's armoured polystyrene
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and sticky tape capsule has made it through the storm
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and out above the cloud layer.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Down on the ground, we're not so lucky.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03THUNDER RUMBLES
0:12:08 > 0:12:11You might be wondering why we have to go so high to do this.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The reason is, the speed of sound is directly related to the temperature of the air.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17The colder it is, the lower the speed of sound.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21So Action Man will begin his dive, he will accelerate massively
0:12:21 > 0:12:24through the very thin, very cold air high up.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27If he was down near the ground, the thick air and the warm air would
0:12:27 > 0:12:30hold him back, so the speed of sound would be higher and the drag would
0:12:30 > 0:12:33be greater, so that's why we've got to go all the way up there.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38At sea level, the speed of sound is 761 miles per hour.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43But up where Action Man is going, it's around 670 miles per hour.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47That's why we have Mach numbers, to keep things simple.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Mach 1 is the speed of sound through the air you're in.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55The speed where that shock wave forms.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00We should just pause for a moment to observe that we're having
0:13:00 > 0:13:02a slightly miserable time here in...
0:13:02 > 0:13:06We're still just in Cambridgeshire, it's raining quite heavily.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08It's a grey, overcast day.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The sky, as Ivor Cutler would have said, is like Mercury.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14But Action Man, let's have a look at him,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16he's in bright, glorious sunshine.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29In fact, he's very nearly at his target height of 105,000 feet.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37That's almost four times the height of Mount Everest.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44We pull over into a service station and wait for the drop.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51LAPTOP BEEPS
0:13:59 > 0:14:02After a brief, blissful moment of stillness...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20He's gone.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23That's getting well fast.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25LAPTOP BEEPS RAPIDLY
0:14:27 > 0:14:29That sounds like he's spinning.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36After 17,500 feet of free fall,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40the capsule chute opens and Action Man battles through the storm
0:14:40 > 0:14:42once again to reach the ground.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46It's as fast as I've ever heard, because it went up and up
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and up in frequency.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50# War, shelter
0:14:50 > 0:14:52# It's just a shot away
0:14:52 > 0:14:54# It's just a shot away
0:14:54 > 0:14:57# War, shelter
0:14:57 > 0:14:59# It's just a shot away
0:14:59 > 0:15:00# It's just a shot away... #
0:15:00 > 0:15:04We find Action Man's capsule in a field dangerously close to
0:15:04 > 0:15:05an American military base.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08If they'd caught him, they'd have dressed him in his orange
0:15:08 > 0:15:10boiler suit for a very long time.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Wee-hee. STEVE CHUCKLES
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Everything worked, then?
0:15:19 > 0:15:20Yes!
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Yes!
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Well done.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I'm a happy man.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The weather balloon has also burst and landed.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37So we hurriedly collect the top section of the capsule,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40away from some angry red bulls, and hurry to the nearest pub
0:15:40 > 0:15:44so that Steve can download the data and find Action Man's top speed.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Stand up straight, man.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's ridiculous. Right.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Steve, we are looking
0:16:03 > 0:16:08for a target of 672 miles per hour.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Right.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- That is Mach- 1. Right.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16How fast did we get?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21249.5 miles an hour.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- 249.5?- Yes.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Rubbish.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Generally on Toy Stories we have a knack for plucking success from
0:16:35 > 0:16:39the jaws of extreme unlikelihood, if we just give it a go.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42But that's less than half our target speed.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48We'll have to think of something else.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56But maybe that was a lucky escape.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00We didn't know how he would cope with supersonic speed in free fall.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Action Man collectors, look away.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07This is a compressed air cannon,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10capable of generating a rush of Mach 1 plus air.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11So that's it, he's on.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14We've placed our plastic pioneer in front of it
0:17:14 > 0:17:16in a sort of free fall skydive position.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20OK, we're ready.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Run away.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Now, obviously, this isn't totally accurate
0:17:24 > 0:17:27because, as we said, the air is thinner up high.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31But this is a pretty big bit of kit to haul up into the sky.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Look at the size of it. This is only about 10% of it, as well.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36I know, it goes back for miles.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40This is the only working supersonic air cannon in the UK
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and we've been granted access.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Action Man must be feeling pretty lucky right now.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Ready?
0:17:48 > 0:17:49OK.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Yes?- Yes.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55SIREN STARTS
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Five, four,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01three, two, one.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02AIR WHOOSHES
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Oh!
0:18:05 > 0:18:07HE LAUGHS
0:18:19 > 0:18:21That's horrendous.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23What, his head came off!
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Isn't that a little bit unrealistic though,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33because we hit him sort of with a hammer of Mach 1 air,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36whereas in reality he'd accelerate, which is...
0:18:36 > 0:18:38That's right. Well, we've got the facility to do that.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Remember we talked about him diving,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- rather than being like a skydiver, more of a Superman sort of... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Because that would be a bit more aerodynamic.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Can you modify that to make him...?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50I've got another very similar, so, yes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Hopefully with the air speed increasing gradually,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55in a more realistic manner, our next Action Man
0:18:55 > 0:18:57might stand more of chance.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- So how fast was that last one, Simmy?- 1.13.
0:19:01 > 0:19:061.13. So if we could go to just over Mach 1, 1.05?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07- Yeah.- Yes, OK.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10With the gradual build-up, so this is more like Action Man
0:19:10 > 0:19:12accelerating down through our gravity.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16MUSIC: Superman Theme Tune by John Williams
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Air's coming.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Told you.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- Oooh.- He's not going to go!
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Keep going!
0:19:39 > 0:19:41He's not going to go.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Oh!- Hurrah!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Oh, he was a few seconds from surviving.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Well, let's go and look for the remains.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57It was pretty clear that an exposed and unprotected Action Man
0:19:57 > 0:20:00would not be able to go supersonic...
0:20:00 > 0:20:03At least, not while retaining the realistic hair, eagle eyes
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and everything else by which you identify him as Action Man
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and not part of a vacuum cleaner.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Time for a rethink.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Forget Baumgartner.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Remember Chuck Yeager?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20His Bell X-1 was a rocket-powered aeroplane.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Now the plane's a non-starter but rocket powered...
0:20:25 > 0:20:27MUSIC: Flash by Queen
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Is the answer just a rocket?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- Mmm.- It's like a bullet so it's a simple shape.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38You're going to get a shock wave at the nose
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and maybe some little shock waves at the fins
0:20:41 > 0:20:44but you won't have all that complicated fuselage shape,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47wing shape, canopy shape and all the rest of it.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48It's much simpler.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Rocket sounds feasible.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56That's settled then. We'll build a rocket
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and have Action Man bail out on his parachute.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Excited, we head to the quarry for what,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03contrary to the popular expression,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05IS rocket science.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08The first and most important thing to know about a rocket is,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10it is a so-called reaction engine.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14The rocket goes up because the exhaust, which is fuel,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17which has mass, is being forced downwards.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Sir Isaac Newton told us that.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Two other things to consider in rocket design,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27the centre of mass and the centre of pressure.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29This is actually quite simple.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33The centre of mass is the point about which the fully loaded rocket
0:21:33 > 0:21:34would balance on your finger.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38The centre of pressure is the point around which all the forces
0:21:38 > 0:21:41generated by the rush of passing air will act
0:21:41 > 0:21:43and it's actually easier to demonstrate this
0:21:43 > 0:21:45with the humble pub dart.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49The fins have a very large surface area.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The point has virtually none, so the centre of pressure
0:21:52 > 0:21:53is towards the back of the dart
0:21:53 > 0:21:56but the centre of mass is towards the front
0:21:56 > 0:22:00because of the weight, so the dart is stable and flies true.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03So there you go, you see.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It flies point first even if you throw like a bit of a muppet.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11The design is so effective, even throwing the dart fins first
0:22:11 > 0:22:14it still rights itself even at this tiny distance.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17A rocket is essentially a giant dart
0:22:17 > 0:22:20with Jocky Wilson's arm built into it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22ROCKET WHOOSHES
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Ah, beautiful.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- That's quite good.- Lovely.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- That's great.- Right, so it needs to be a bit bigger.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37It needs to go a bit higher and quite a lot faster
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and carry Action Man and his capsule and his parachute.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Yeah.- Piece of cake.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46The theory appears to be sound, but Action Man won't fit
0:22:46 > 0:22:51in one of these toy rockets, so we hastily improvise a prototype.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54This is a sort of initial proof of concept idea
0:22:54 > 0:22:56that Simmy and I have come up with.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It's a commercially available rocket, it's a big firework
0:22:58 > 0:23:01but we've modified it slightly so that Action Man sits in the top.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Now at the top of the trajectory, at apogee,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07a small charge will go off in here and eject him.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10His parachute here is ready deployed and attached,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13the rocket will disappear, Action Man will float down,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16we'll know that the whole basic idea works. It won't go supersonic
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but it is going to show us the basic principles.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20It's pointing into wind.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I think we're ready.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24- Are you ready?- I'm ready.- Good.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Here we go.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49ROCKET WHOOSHES
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Whey hey!
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Oh!
0:23:57 > 0:24:00HE CHUCKLES
0:24:00 > 0:24:01THEY LAUGH
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Jeez!
0:24:03 > 0:24:06That small explosive charge might have been a bit big.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Actually, it was ten times too big,
0:24:09 > 0:24:10usual decimal point problem.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- It nearly hit me on the head. - It did!
0:24:12 > 0:24:15But that was our fastest flight yet.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17We just need to refine things a bit.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Rockets are very volatile and we're not very experienced.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23God, its head's red hot.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Unfortunately that's not the worst of our problems.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28As we're packing up, Tom, the director,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30takes a very surreal phone call.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Oh, he's just there, OK.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34You see, when we decided on a rocket,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37we started asking around about how to do it
0:24:37 > 0:24:41but the walls have ears or, at least, rocket boffins do,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43especially if you ring them up.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46There's a group of rocket enthusiasts who've heard
0:24:46 > 0:24:49about our idea and they're going to attempt
0:24:49 > 0:24:54a rival launch of a supersonic rocket but carrying Sindy.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58It's being made in half a tent by a man with Sindy's hair
0:24:58 > 0:25:00but looks are deceptive.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02These blokes know what they're doing.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Hi, my name's Russ Strand.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I'm a systems engineer in a large engineering firm.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So we've got the motor at the back end, main parachute section here,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13the drogue parachute section and this is the Sindy capsule.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I think, overall, we've got the right design, I think we've got
0:25:16 > 0:25:20the right expertise in the team. These will control the various deployment events,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22so the separation of the drogue parachute, the apogee,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24the top of the flight and a proven track record.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Overall, we've got the better chance of success.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30This is what's known as a von Karman ogive.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I suppose it was inevitable.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35For every great pioneering breakthrough, there is always
0:25:35 > 0:25:36a battle to be the first.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39The space race had America and Russia.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43We have the UK's knock-off of America's GI Joe verses
0:25:43 > 0:25:45the UK's knock-off of Barbie.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Simmy and I are going to have step on it if we want Action Man
0:25:48 > 0:25:51to be the first toy to break the sound barrier.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55There's no time to be mucking around with fireworks -
0:25:55 > 0:25:57we have to get serious.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Phase One, the rocket fuel.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04You join us at a very exciting time, viewers, rocket testing.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08This is a commercially available, off-the-peg solid rocket fuel motor.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11It's a sort of Marks & Spencer's underpants of rocket motors,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and we're going to test it on this rig, which looks like a lot
0:26:14 > 0:26:17of old rusty angle iron, but it is in fact a - what do you call it?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- We're going to mount a load cell on it.- A load cell.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24'A load cell is a sort of pressure gauge, which measures how much
0:26:24 > 0:26:27'thrust our rocket fuel delivers and how long it burns for.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30'Then we can work out if that's enough to take Action Man
0:26:30 > 0:26:32'beyond the speed of sound.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:34So the rocket goes in there.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37There's the exhaust, exhaust goes that way.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Newton's third law, reaction goes that way,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44presses on there, strain gauge relaying information to the
0:26:44 > 0:26:47computer will give us the thrust, the duration,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50the exhaust velocity and we will see that as a graph, Mike,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52- is that right?- Yes, that's correct.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53We love a graph.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Here we go, aerial view from the cameras so we know no-one's there.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Charlie's data logger, which will give us all the information.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02My firing button.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03Firing in three!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Pull the right button there. Two!
0:27:07 > 0:27:08One!
0:27:08 > 0:27:10# Flash! #
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- Was that it?- That's it.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24That was about two seconds.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28The off-the-shelf fuel peaked at 13 kilograms of thrust.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32It's about as aggressive as the Lighthouse Family.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Still, we're rocketry students, so let's try some home brew.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41OK, so mixing the rocket fuel begins with, I believe...?
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Ammonium perchlorate.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Which is the...?
0:27:44 > 0:27:45- That's the oxidizer.- Oxidizer.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49The oxidizer is because the rocket
0:27:49 > 0:27:51can't breath air like a jet engine.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Right, so it can't use, it can't use atmospheric oxygen,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57so this is effectively a very concentrated form of oxygen.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It has its own oxygen inside it.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'Now, obviously, we can't tell you exactly what we're using, or
0:28:04 > 0:28:07'how much, or this would turn into terrorist MasterChef,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'but it does involve aluminium powder,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12'which is highly volatile
0:28:12 > 0:28:15'and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17'which is highly unpronounceable.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19'Anyway, by the end of it we had a batch that would make
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'Walter White turn green.'
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Pretty good, I reckon.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27But would it beat the off-the-shelf fuel?
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Now...
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Three, two, one, fire!
0:28:43 > 0:28:44Jesus!
0:28:47 > 0:28:50- Has it blown the whole rig over? - It's taken the rig out!
0:28:51 > 0:28:53# Stand for every one of us
0:28:53 > 0:28:55# He save with a mighty hand
0:28:55 > 0:28:57# Every man, every woman
0:28:57 > 0:28:59# Every child with a mighty flash... #
0:29:02 > 0:29:05I think this was successful.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07- I think we're quite pleased with that, aren't we?- Well, yeah.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11That rig weighs 180 kilos.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Well, that's why rocket motors are good. I mean, look at that.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18That's only a small tube of stuff and it's moved that.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Look at it!
0:29:20 > 0:29:23'Unfortunately, it's also destroyed all our instruments.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26'So while Charlie and the team try to get some results
0:29:26 > 0:29:29'from our bench test, beyond it's destroyed the bench...
0:29:30 > 0:29:32'..I turn my attention to another problem.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35'The sheer force of our rocket fuel is giving me
0:29:35 > 0:29:38'horrible flashbacks to our firework experiment.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42'Action Man needs to be able to bail out safely.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46'Now, for our balloon attempt we used a specially-made parachute,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48'which, let's be honest, was cheating a bit.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51'For our rocket attempt we want it to be all Action Man
0:29:51 > 0:29:55'and that means using the real parachute that came with the toy.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58'But we only have the word of a '70s advert that it works.'
0:30:00 > 0:30:01He drops from the skies.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05We take Action Man over to an Army base.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Their crack skydiving team
0:30:07 > 0:30:10recognise the national importance of testing an orange handkerchief
0:30:10 > 0:30:12attached to a slightly camp doll.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Action Man's parachute is, of course, notoriously unreliable.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21From your upstairs bedroom window, he might suffer something like
0:30:21 > 0:30:22a dislocated knee
0:30:22 > 0:30:23or a missing head.
0:30:23 > 0:30:29This is from 13,000 feet, with about 11,000 feet of freefall
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and a 2,000 foot under-canopy descent.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36# Hey, Mister, where you headed?
0:30:36 > 0:30:37# Are you in a hurry? #
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Assuming mine and Simmy's plan works,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Action Man should be bailing out of his rocket
0:30:42 > 0:30:44at a similar altitude to this,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46somewhere between 13 and 16,000 feet.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52So the stresses on his parachute are of a magnitude
0:30:52 > 0:30:55not previously experienced by Action Man.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04First off, Action Man must survive the freefall
0:31:04 > 0:31:07as if he'd just bailed out of the rocket.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Then, when the skydivers release their own parachutes,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12we'll see if Action Man's really works.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20As with all momentous events in human history -
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Agincourt, the Somme offensive,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25a new series presented by Richard Hammond -
0:31:25 > 0:31:28there is a preceding lull accompanied by birdsong.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31BIRDS SINGING
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Isn't that nice?
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- 'Action Man away.' - Action Man away.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56This is a little bit like that moment in the Apollo 13 re-entry
0:31:56 > 0:31:59when they had the communications black-out.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05And everyone is just waiting to see if it comes out of the other side.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09'Meanwhile, on the other side...'
0:32:10 > 0:32:12# Space travel's in my blood
0:32:12 > 0:32:16# There ain't nothing I can do about it
0:32:16 > 0:32:19# My journeys wear me out but
0:32:19 > 0:32:21# I know I can't live without it
0:32:21 > 0:32:26# Oh, no, I think I'm on another world with you
0:32:26 > 0:32:29# With you
0:32:29 > 0:32:32# I'm on another planet with you
0:32:32 > 0:32:34# With you
0:32:34 > 0:32:37# Another planet. #
0:32:37 > 0:32:38There they are.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40See it?
0:32:40 > 0:32:43See, I've got eagle eyes.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46I just haven't got realistic hair or gripping hands.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Action Man has survived the freefall
0:32:48 > 0:32:50and the team's parachutes have deployed.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Will his?
0:33:27 > 0:33:30That looks like a pretty successful parachute.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- Tell me the worst. - He was great. He was amazing.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- Did his parachute open? - His parachute opened.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40His parachute opened, it seemed to work and he drifted that way.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43That's quite remarkable because he used to just fall straight to Earth
0:33:43 > 0:33:45and hit it with an appalling plasticky splat.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47This is quite good. If he survives that,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51that means he's good for a bail out from a supersonic rocket.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53- Thank you.- Our pleasure.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55What we've done here rather cleverly
0:33:55 > 0:33:58is paired the classic Action Man toy with a piece of modern technology.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01There's a GPS transmitter in his backpack
0:34:01 > 0:34:05and what I do is, I ring - his tracker's got a SIM Card in -
0:34:05 > 0:34:07I telephone the tracker
0:34:07 > 0:34:12and...it should ring twice and then cut out.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14SILENCE
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Of course, he may not be in range of a signal.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27"Welcome to the messaging..."? How can it be a messaging service?
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Am I supposed to leave him a voicemail?
0:34:31 > 0:34:34"Oi, Action Man. Where are you?"
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Tom? Little Tom?
0:34:36 > 0:34:37He's on answer machine.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39How can he have an answering machine?
0:34:39 > 0:34:41He might be on the phone to someone else.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- No, don't be... - HE CHUCKLES
0:34:43 > 0:34:45- He's on the phone to Barbie, isn't he?- Yeah.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Hi, Action Man, it's James.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51If you're in a field somewhere, could you give us a bell
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and tell us where you are?
0:34:53 > 0:34:56- Useless plastic- BLEEP.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58But, yeah, we should try and work out which direction to go in.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05Yeah, that's us.
0:35:05 > 0:35:06HE LAUGHS
0:35:06 > 0:35:10All we can do is make an educated guess based on the wind direction
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and set off in the van.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18It's like looking for one small orange needle
0:35:18 > 0:35:21in a 200 hectare haystack.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28There, there, there he is.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41It turns out that the skydivers frequently use bits
0:35:41 > 0:35:44of orange material in their training exercises.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45Do you drop a lot of orange squares?
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Yeah, these are what the students learn with
0:35:47 > 0:35:49when they practise their freefalls.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52This is now like trying to find a small orange needle
0:35:52 > 0:35:54in a haystack full of small orange needles.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Why can't we do anything properly?
0:36:02 > 0:36:04So do you know roughly where they were
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- when they dropped it? Over the barns?- Yeah.- OK.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10After a mere hour and half of aimless driving, though...
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Oh, what's that? On the right?
0:36:13 > 0:36:15- Yeah. That's a good spot. - Shall we go and take a look?
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Might be onto something here. And...
0:36:17 > 0:36:19that is him.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21And he looks good.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Danger, response, airways, breathing.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39I think he's OK.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44It works.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46That's tremendous news, isn't it?
0:36:46 > 0:36:49After decades to work that out, the parachute works.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Right, we can get him down, all we need to do is get him up.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56At Mach 1 plus.
0:36:56 > 0:36:57Brilliant.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Well done, lad.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03'Maybe I'm just feeling a sense of relief
0:37:03 > 0:37:06'because he's finally survived one of our experiments
0:37:06 > 0:37:09'but I'm beginning to warm to Action Man.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13'Granted, you need your own skydiving team to reveal his true play value,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15'but even so.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18'Despite his gormless, expressionless face,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21'he is on the verge of the greatness we have long craved for him.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25'And that's made me realise that we should give some consideration
0:37:25 > 0:37:28'to choosing the Action Man that will become
0:37:28 > 0:37:30'our pioneering rocket pilot.'
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Filled with new enthusiasm for our challenge, I've gone down
0:37:34 > 0:37:38to the enormous Birmingham NEC Classic Toy Collectors Fair
0:37:38 > 0:37:40to hand-pick a team of potential pilots
0:37:40 > 0:37:43and separate the Action Men from the boys.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46In the middle of the hall, I set up SAM,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50the Supersonic Action Man Initiative.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53I've put word out that we're looking for the best of the best.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Unfortunately, what I've forgotten
0:38:00 > 0:38:03is that whilst I might be coming round to Action Man...
0:38:06 > 0:38:08..nobody else really gives a stuff.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18This actually isn't as good as I thought.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20We've been here now for...
0:38:20 > 0:38:22three and a half hours.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25I thought we'd be mobbed, to be honest. This is a toy fair.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Everybody here is interested in toys and old toys and toy history,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31but nobody's interested in Action Man.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Nobody's got an Action Man any more.
0:38:36 > 0:38:37No interest in Action Man?
0:38:37 > 0:38:40No, none at all. They were dolls, weren't they?
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So you've got pretty much every action figure, except Action Man?
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Oh, we don't do Action Man.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Why not Action Man, though? Is he just too dull?
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Never really got into Action Man. I was more into Star Wars.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Have you ever seen an Action Man?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56- I have. - Did you like him?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58- Not really, no.- Hmm.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01'This is a desperate announcement.'
0:39:01 > 0:39:05If anybody is even remotely interested in Action Man,
0:39:05 > 0:39:09please visit the Supersonic Action Man Initiative stall
0:39:09 > 0:39:13on the left, towards the door at the back near the cafe.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Or it might be on the right, depending which way you're coming.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24'Finally, we get some hopeful recruits.'
0:39:24 > 0:39:29- I'm James.- James, I can remember that. And your Action Man's name?
0:39:29 > 0:39:31- Steve, I suppose he was called. - Steve.- Steve, yeah.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Need to just obviously do a quick check for physical fitness.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Yeah, all his limbs bend the wrong way, so that's good.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Here is John Mark II.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44And what happened to John Mark I?
0:39:44 > 0:39:47He was my best friend as a child
0:39:47 > 0:39:49and I built him a parachute
0:39:49 > 0:39:51and threw him out of my bedroom window.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53He used to face death on a daily basis.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55He was blown up quite a few times in the back garden.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57He was shot with an air pistol. He was thrown out of trees.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02We did actually do him up a Top Secret folder.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Intergalactic peace envoy.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05Yes.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Very modern.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Sorry, say that again?
0:40:09 > 0:40:11I've got over 300 Action Men but I made him into a warden
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- because he was in the cabinet looking after the other Action Men.- Right.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17At heart, I am quite a child, if you like.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18I do enjoy...
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Are you a nutter?
0:40:20 > 0:40:21No.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Nutters or no, we have some hopeful recruits
0:40:24 > 0:40:27and as we have only one of our own Action Men left,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30we decide to put them both down as potential pilots.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34And in more good news,
0:40:34 > 0:40:39right at the back of a dusty corner of the toy fair, we find Action Man.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42But it's what's on the accessories table that interests me more.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43Hey, look at this.
0:40:44 > 0:40:45Is that a space suit?
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Yup, that's the original '60s Action Man space suit.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53That's tremendous.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- Thank you.- Deal, thank you very much.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58I've bought my first Action Man accessory.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03This season, Action Man will be wearing a range of...
0:41:03 > 0:41:07Hang on... Team Sindy have nearly finished their rocket.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15Back at Action Man HQ, we finalise our design.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17You join us at a very exciting time.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Here we are at the headquarters of our secret
0:41:19 > 0:41:21rocket building institution.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22This is Ambrose. He's an engineer
0:41:22 > 0:41:26and stuff like that, and he's going to design
0:41:26 > 0:41:27the rocket shape.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31'We need to make it as aerodynamic and as light as possible
0:41:31 > 0:41:34'but there's an awful lot to fit in.'
0:41:34 > 0:41:36We've also got to get in a parachute...
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- Cameras.- The cameras to film what happens to him. The...
0:41:40 > 0:41:41- Telemetry.- Telemetry.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44If it was just firing the rocket, as an experiment,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47it would be relatively easy. The fact that we've got to film it
0:41:47 > 0:41:49so that you can watch this now on Christmas Eve
0:41:49 > 0:41:51or two weeks after Boxing Day,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53whenever they put our Christmas special on,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55we have to be able to incorporate the little cameras.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57We've gone for a design
0:41:57 > 0:42:00similar to the real Ariane series of space rocket.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Thin, but with a top bulge
0:42:02 > 0:42:05containing Action Man and all the kit.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06Back at Team Sindy...
0:42:06 > 0:42:11And you can see here that we're predicting quite nicely supersonic.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13So we're building a single-stage rocket,
0:42:13 > 0:42:14which will launch on a very large motor,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16hopefully going supersonic in the process.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20A single-stage rocket is one that contains one enormous
0:42:20 > 0:42:22but solo body of fuel.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Simmy and I have gone for something a little more complex.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29A two-stage design more in keeping with multi-stage rockets
0:42:29 > 0:42:30that went to the moon.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34At launch, we'll have our main booster
0:42:34 > 0:42:38and two additional side boosters that will drop off for phase two,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42shedding weight and leaving our main booster going like a homesick angel.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48I've heard that James and Sim might be doing a two-stage rocket,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50which, to me, sounds like madness
0:42:50 > 0:42:53because the level of complexity for a supersonic rocket
0:42:53 > 0:42:54is high enough already.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57A two-stage rocket has obviously got to separate at some point,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01which is just a level of complexity that boggles the mind, really.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06But, like a tricky nine-letter word, we refuse to be boggled.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08What I'm going to make here with engineer Mike
0:43:08 > 0:43:11is the nozzle for our rocket motor.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13As Team Sindy gets ever closer,
0:43:13 > 0:43:18we work ceaselessly, day and night, until our lathes smoke.
0:43:18 > 0:43:19Pointy!
0:43:19 > 0:43:25That is a convergent, divergent nozzle.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26Mmm.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30But, just as we're putting the final touches to our masterpiece,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32we get the call we've been dreading.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34Team Sindy is launching.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38So basically, the rocket will launch up to apogee,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42fire the pyros located here, which will separate the Sindy capsule
0:43:42 > 0:43:44and put out a drogue parachute.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47The whole of Team Sindy has come to this field in Scotland,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49from expert rocketry engineers
0:43:49 > 0:43:51to this man with a hammer.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55And like accessorized Action figures,
0:43:55 > 0:43:59they're all dressed in their most intimidating hats.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02But these are some confident space cowboys.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Yes, everybody back a bit, please.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Sindy is going to go faster and higher.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09I think Sindy makes a better astronaut.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Ladies are lighter and they should have been into space first.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13They take less fuel.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17And it seems I'm not the only one getting attached to our pioneers.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Team Sindy apparently started out with two Sindy dolls.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26That's it, keep going. Gently.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28Mock-up Sindy was for the testing
0:44:28 > 0:44:34and Flight Sindy was supposed to be for the launch, but, well...?
0:44:34 > 0:44:37I don't know, it's just a doll after all,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40but Flight Sindy, I just didn't like her.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42I didn't take to her at all.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Perhaps it was because I'd been used to working with Mock-up Sindy
0:44:44 > 0:44:47so I put Flight Sindy in the cradle and I thought, "No.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50"No, you're not flying. I'll put Mock-up Sindy back in."
0:44:52 > 0:44:55I think she's far the better candidate
0:44:55 > 0:44:56and also we were doing a ground test
0:44:56 > 0:44:58and Mock-up Sindy's been in those tests,
0:44:58 > 0:45:00so she's had two short flights already.
0:45:00 > 0:45:05She's done all the pioneering work, so why shouldn't she get to fly?
0:45:05 > 0:45:06Right you are, John.
0:45:11 > 0:45:12'Anyway, back in reality,
0:45:12 > 0:45:15'Simmy and I rush to Scotland from Action Man HQ.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23'We're exhausted and, frankly, a bundle of nerves,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26'but I try to remain as grim-faced as Action Man himself.'
0:45:29 > 0:45:33That is a fine-looking rocket
0:45:33 > 0:45:35and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a small part of me
0:45:35 > 0:45:38hopes that Sindy doesn't go supersonic
0:45:38 > 0:45:43because I want Action Man to be the first one-sixth-scale toy person
0:45:43 > 0:45:46to go faster than sound.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50But that would be churlish, un-sporting and un-British.
0:45:50 > 0:45:51And possibly sexist.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54So, may the best plastic man, or woman, win.
0:46:05 > 0:46:06Well, look...
0:46:07 > 0:46:09Best of luck, and I really mean that
0:46:09 > 0:46:13because the important thing is that the rockets work.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Well, best of luck to you too.
0:46:15 > 0:46:16- Thank you.- Indeed.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Tremendous. Right, shall we light this candle?
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- Let's do it.- Right.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25All we can do is retreat to a safe distance and let destiny decide.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36OK! We're launching in
0:46:36 > 0:46:37five,
0:46:37 > 0:46:39four,
0:46:39 > 0:46:40three,
0:46:40 > 0:46:41two,
0:46:41 > 0:46:42one.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47WHOOSHING
0:46:54 > 0:46:56That was quite amazing!
0:46:56 > 0:46:57There was a sonic boom.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59- Was that a boom? - That was a sonic boom.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02'We've lost.'
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Right, so... That's all it was, wasn't it?
0:47:20 > 0:47:22'We already heard the sonic boom from the ground
0:47:22 > 0:47:24'but a report later confirms it.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28'Sindy reached 778 miles per hour
0:47:28 > 0:47:31'or Mach 1.02.'
0:47:36 > 0:47:38WHOOPING
0:47:38 > 0:47:42- Oh, look, you can see the chutes!- Yes!
0:47:42 > 0:47:44'The first toy to go supersonic
0:47:44 > 0:47:47'is a doll with a preposterously shaped head.'
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- That is a long walk, I think.- Yes!
0:47:56 > 0:47:57Hang on... Sindy is the far one.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00- Yeah. Is it? - She's going a long way away.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14But you don't have a track on Sindy?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21And she's a lot... Well, she is bright yellow, so...
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Those are the bits of the rocket. Where's Simmy? Simmy?
0:48:38 > 0:48:39Sim?
0:48:43 > 0:48:46- Oh, look.- Yeah, but they haven't got Sindy.- Ah.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48And the mission statement was quite clearly,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50"return safely to the Earth."
0:48:51 > 0:48:52We will find her.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56She must be down there somewhere.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01'Team Sindy are flustered. Russ does a quick calculation.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05'Scotland is quite big.'
0:49:05 > 0:49:07I don't want to be a naysayer,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10but if you don't find your cosmonaut,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13you can't regard your mission as a complete success.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17- We will find her.- We will find her.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21But, after three days of looking, they hadn't found her.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23Team Action Man was go.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35There have been many hours of work at the lathe and the mill.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Soldering deep into the night, tongue clamped between teeth,
0:49:38 > 0:49:42computer simulation, stress testing of materials,
0:49:42 > 0:49:463D printing of components, mixing of fuels, making of stickers
0:49:46 > 0:49:49and so on and so on, but here are the parts of our rocket.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54Firstly, we have the boosters that assist it during takeoff
0:49:54 > 0:49:55and these are the fins.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58And then we have the main stage of our rocket
0:49:58 > 0:50:01with our three grains of specially prepared rocket fuel.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03And then we have the telemetry module.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05This will tell us what is happening,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07how fast it's going, where it's going and so on.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08This electronic module,
0:50:08 > 0:50:13which triggers all the parachutes necessary for a safe descent.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16This is the Perspex tube where Action Man
0:50:16 > 0:50:18and the electronic modules will sit.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20On the top of that is the nose cone
0:50:20 > 0:50:24and finally, here is Action Man's ejection seat.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Complete with cut-out for the small cameras
0:50:27 > 0:50:29that will record this world-changing event.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32This is it then.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37One final effort to show that Action Man can be more than just a doll.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Great sacrifices have been made to get us to this point.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43We've lost more brave men in this endeavour
0:50:43 > 0:50:46than in the entire Apollo missions combined.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50And I have a confession.
0:50:50 > 0:50:51Like John in Scotland,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55we've grown too attached to our one surviving test pilot.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Steve and John Mark II are fine examples,
0:50:59 > 0:51:01keeping the flame of heroism alive,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05but our mock-up Action Man has truly done all the pioneering work.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Why shouldn't he get to fly?
0:51:22 > 0:51:27Here it is. The SAM Initiative Rocket Mark I And Only,
0:51:27 > 0:51:29because here's the thing that's worrying us.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33This - this isn't TV Jeopardy! - this has not been tested.
0:51:33 > 0:51:34How could we test it?
0:51:34 > 0:51:37You can't let a supersonic rocket off in your back garden,
0:51:37 > 0:51:40that would be ridiculous. And that is exactly why we're here.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42If this thing falls over during the launch,
0:51:42 > 0:51:45it will travel horizontally at the speed of a bullet
0:51:45 > 0:51:49for something like two miles. You wouldn't even see it coming
0:51:49 > 0:51:51before it drilled a comedy rocket-shaped hole
0:51:51 > 0:51:53right in the middle of your ribcage.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Let's take cover, everybody.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Simmy heads to an adjacent hill to act as spotter
0:52:07 > 0:52:10so we don't get a repeat of the Sindy incident.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13'I go to the van and pray.'
0:52:16 > 0:52:17I'm nervous.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19OK, well, let's do it.
0:52:19 > 0:52:20Right.
0:52:20 > 0:52:21- Countdown.- Is everybody ready?
0:52:21 > 0:52:25OK, counting down to firing.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27- Charged.- Ten,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29nine,
0:52:29 > 0:52:30eight,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32seven,
0:52:32 > 0:52:34six,
0:52:34 > 0:52:35five,
0:52:35 > 0:52:37four,
0:52:37 > 0:52:39three,
0:52:39 > 0:52:40two,
0:52:40 > 0:52:41one.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54WHOOSHING
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Oh, boom!
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Look at it go! Hoo-hoo!
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Anybody hear anything? Any bangs?
0:53:23 > 0:53:26# You gotta be good
0:53:26 > 0:53:28# You gotta be strong... #
0:53:29 > 0:53:32We've got apogee. We've got an apogee report.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33- Right.- He's inbound.
0:53:46 > 0:53:47'Something's not right.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:52- Come on.- Flipping heck, that went good.- Rocket?
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Have you got altitude, Chris?
0:53:57 > 0:54:01Yeah, it's on its way down. It's 2,000 metres.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03But something has gone wrong.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04Very wrong.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Action Man's parachute has not deployed
0:54:07 > 0:54:09and he's got tangled up with the rocket as he falls.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Right, he should come through that bit of cloud pretty soon.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19'As we wait anxiously, I appear to be making an Action Man pose myself
0:54:19 > 0:54:20'in solidarity.'
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Not yet.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33'If Action Man's arms come off, if his head detaches,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36'if he lands damaged in any way or if we can't find him,
0:54:36 > 0:54:41'then the mission is a failure and dolls are rubbish forever.'
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Did you see two chutes or one?
0:54:46 > 0:54:48'Er, we haven't seen any chutes yet.'
0:54:58 > 0:55:00- There!- Yes. Visual.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Only the rocket's drogue chute has deployed.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14He's coming in too fast.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20It wasn't clear if he's separated or not, was it?
0:55:20 > 0:55:22You couldn't really see.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25- Shall we go and find it? It doesn't look that far.- Yes, let's go.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29He's got to survive, that's the thing.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33If he doesn't survive, he just joins Sindy on the roll of honour.
0:55:33 > 0:55:34It was over there, wasn't it?
0:55:34 > 0:55:36Roughly that way, I'd say.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40Can you see where we are and where we should be?
0:55:40 > 0:55:42'I can see where you are.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44'I'm afraid I don't know where the rocket is.
0:55:44 > 0:55:45'I didn't see it come down.'
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Which way do you think it is?
0:55:54 > 0:55:56That way, I think, is the strongest.
0:55:57 > 0:55:58Yep, here!
0:56:08 > 0:56:10'As we approach the crash site,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12'I prepare myself for the worst.'
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Well, he's out.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37And he's safe.
0:56:37 > 0:56:38That's unbelievable.
0:56:38 > 0:56:43'This little Action Man has just survived 35G.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47'Seven times what real astronauts sustain.'
0:56:47 > 0:56:49That's a salute.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51If somebody gave you that for Christmas,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54you'd say that was a fully functioning Action Man, agreed?
0:56:54 > 0:56:56He's a survivor.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00Right, let's go and find out how fast he went.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Ha-ha!
0:57:02 > 0:57:04CHEERING
0:57:13 > 0:57:15"Take Action Man to the speed of sound and beyond
0:57:15 > 0:57:18"and return him safely to the Earth".
0:57:18 > 0:57:21That was the mission statement. Here he is, he's safe.
0:57:21 > 0:57:26Now we will look at the telemetry data and the speed.
0:57:26 > 0:57:27Stand by.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33You know, a few years ago, we did the Barnstable to Bideford
0:57:33 > 0:57:35Great Train Race and it didn't work,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38so we had to go back the following year and do it again?
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Well, I don't know what you're all doing next year,
0:57:42 > 0:57:45but you won't be coming here because that's Mach 1.1.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52'It's a resounding success.'
0:57:52 > 0:57:54An achievement even greater than
0:57:54 > 0:57:57not using Elton John's Rocket Man for the entire show.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59Mach 1.1.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02821 miles per hour.
0:58:02 > 0:58:0443 faster than Sindy.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09After decades of being forgotten, dismissed and derided,
0:58:09 > 0:58:14Action Man has shown that he truly is made of the right stuff.
0:58:15 > 0:58:1796% plastic, 4% elastic
0:58:17 > 0:58:19and some chrome metal rivets.
0:58:21 > 0:58:22A happy Christmas.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25I hope all your toys work as well as ours did.