Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Dr John Stapp - 632 mph

Can she take much more Scottie? Is it an early Smart car design or an IKEA sofa on a test rig?

No, its Dr. John Paul Stapp strapped to his bedstead. He was not only the "fastest human on earth;" in the '50s, he was the quickest to stop. In 1954, America's original Rocketman attained a then-world record land speed of 632 mph, going from a standstill to a speed faster than a .45 bullet in five seconds on an specially-designed rocket sled. Possibly the worst part of the record attempt was coming to a screeching dead stop in 1.4 seconds, sustaining more than 40g's of thrust, all in the interest of safety. Not sure who's safety was involved here.

No comments:

Post a Comment