Posted on 12/11/2004 2:07:36 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Dec 11, 2004 Air Force Base Re-Enacts Rocket Sled Test 50 Years Ago That Propelled Earth's Fastest Human The Associated Press
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AP) - A rocket-propelled sled blasted down a track to re-enact a test 50 years earlier that helped prove humans could survive the gravitational stresses of spaceflight.
On Friday, a mannequin was strapped into the sled instead of Air Force Col. John P. Stapp, who became the fastest man on Earth through the Dec. 10, 1954, test at Holloman Air Force Base.
Stapp, who died in 1999, had volunteered to be strapped onto Sonic Wind 1 and sent down a 3,500-foot set of rails. After reaching a top speed of 632 mph in just five seconds, the sled was braked to a stop in 1.4 seconds, subjecting Stapp to a deceleration equivalent to 43 times the force of gravity.
Stapp, a space research pioneer who went on 29 rocket sled rides in the 1950s, became a national hero, and his portrait appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
"He would be very proud today of what he achieved, finding ways to preserve life," said his brother Wilford Stapp, 86, of San Antonio, who hit a switch that fired off the sled in Friday's commemoration.
The experiments provided criteria for crash protection designs for aircraft, space cabins and ground vehicles as well as for tolerance limits for pilots in aircraft ejection seats. Maj. James Colebank, operations officer for the 846th Test Squadron that conducted Friday's re-enactment, said Stapp's research on seat belts is responsible for saving more than 250,000 lives.
Wilford Stapp said he often wondered if his brother overdid the experiments.
"I remember him coming to visit one time and he asked me to get his bags out of the trunk for him. I found out later that he had broken both of his arms on a sled ride," he said.
AP-ES-12-11-04 1649EST
This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBR57OBM2E.html
# Go Back To The Story
There were some pretty grotesque photos of the event, if I recall.
geez that's nuts!!!
He must have been black and blue.
I always say, it's not GOING too fast that kills you, it's STOPPING too fast.
Man. Think of your nuts!
Peronally, whenever I go from 632-to-0, I like to take a nice, easy 2-3 seconds ;-)
Yes, I remember these events of 50 years ago. Made the Reader's Digest also!
Really. Wonder how deep they were embedded in the seat after he stopped.
mpg video clips of the original and the reenactment
http://www.46tg.af.mil/Stapp_50_Aniv.htm
Is this a Wyle Coyote "Hold muh beer-n-watch this......." moment in the making ?
Ping
Brake check Eeeeek !
43 G's! I wonder what internal injuries he suffered from it?
Black and blue is an understatement. His eyes looked red from being bloodhsot so bad and they were slightly bulging as if they were about to pop out. Nevertheless, he survived one h*ll of a stop at the end of the ride.
It's not the fall, it's the sudden stop that kills you.
Turns them into lentils...
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