02-20-2007, 11:30 PM
BGnR, the article also mentions that it is comparible to a regular car crashing at 50mph into a brick wall.
As the sled decelerated, Colonel Stapp was subjected to more than 40 times the pull of gravity (40 gs); his normal weight of 168 ½ lbs. momentarily shot up to 6,740 lbs. The driver of an ordinary automobile colliding with a brick wall at 50 m.p.h. would be taking much the same jolt—yet Stapp survived it with negligible injuries.
As the sled decelerated, Colonel Stapp was subjected to more than 40 times the pull of gravity (40 gs); his normal weight of 168 ½ lbs. momentarily shot up to 6,740 lbs. The driver of an ordinary automobile colliding with a brick wall at 50 m.p.h. would be taking much the same jolt—yet Stapp survived it with negligible injuries.