Historic Soup: John Stapp
Dec. 18th, 2016 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithOne of the interesting quirks about humans is the degree to which tolerance of g-force varies. Few people can take more than 8 g, and for a while that was considered the maximum. Fighter pilots are chosen in part for their ability to last longer than average before passing out.
And then there's this guy. Colonel John Paul Stapp liked to use himself as a human guinea pig while studying ways for pilots to withstand more g-force. His first test more than tripled the basic 8. Through clever application of gizmology, he devised equipment that expanded what people could tolerate. His personal record was 46.2 g -- more than five times the presumed human limit. This guy had big brass balls. Not just for strapping himself to a rocket, because guys do dumb shit like that; but for admitting how far outside the envelope he really was. Even at twice the usual, people give you a lot of hairy eyeballs.
Survey says: soup's on! :D
And then there's this guy. Colonel John Paul Stapp liked to use himself as a human guinea pig while studying ways for pilots to withstand more g-force. His first test more than tripled the basic 8. Through clever application of gizmology, he devised equipment that expanded what people could tolerate. His personal record was 46.2 g -- more than five times the presumed human limit. This guy had big brass balls. Not just for strapping himself to a rocket, because guys do dumb shit like that; but for admitting how far outside the envelope he really was. Even at twice the usual, people give you a lot of hairy eyeballs.
Survey says: soup's on! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-19 07:46 pm (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2016-12-19 07:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-12-20 02:30 am (UTC)Anyone else finding themselves unable to avoid reading his name as "John, stahp!"?