 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2022) |
A jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack or flight pack is a device worn as a backpack which uses jets to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and the first working experimental devices were demonstrated in the 1960s.
Jet packs have been developed using a variety of mechanisms, but their uses are limited because of factors including the Earth's atmosphere, gravity, the low energy density of extreme fuels[clarification needed], and the human body not being suited to flight, and they are principally used for stunts.
A practical use for the jet pack has been in extra-vehicular activities for astronauts because of the weightlessness and lack of friction-creating atmosphere in orbit. The term jet suit is used for a system incorporating a jet pack and associated jets attached to the arms to increase manoeuvrability (e.g. the Daedalus Flight Pack).