600 MPH Sled Ride

[Jesda]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBR57OBM2E.html

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.

Video:http://www.46tg.af.mil/Stapp_50_Aniv.htm

[Mr1der]

rock rock on.

lemme fasten that bad boy to a carpet and fire up the Steppenwolf.

yee haw space cowboy.

[gabossie]

Could you imagine moving 600mph on a sled??? It would be awesome, but I don't think you'd have any idea what was happening, just a big blur.

[elwesso]

I couldnt imagine 100 MPH on a sled... Ive got 70 on a snowmobile thats about all i want...