"Yeehaw!" cries the rocket-engineer as he drives the all-terrain buggy hard over the rocks and scrub of the Nevada Desert.

With his big hat and moustache, he looks like a cowboy riding out over his territory.

The chap in the borrowed bright-orange quilted jacket, hanging on for dear life in the back, looks less at home. That's me.

I had expected cold weather, but not the chill of hurtling through desert air at 6C in fog and rain.

The excitingly named Brogan BamBrogan - yes, he changed it; no, I didn't ask why - is taking me on the very first tour of 50 acres (0.2 sq km) of desert that will, in the next year, become a test track for the Hyperloop.

Originally conceived by Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, Hyperloop is an idea of colossal ambition and science-fiction proportions.

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