This is the incredible story of a man who turned himself into a crash-test dummy

John Stapp all smiles
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

Humans are a pretty resilient bunch. That is, until we hop inside cars, trains, planes, and other machines that can maim or kill us just by stopping too quickly.

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Thankfully, one man figured out the limits of deceleration and acceleration on the body: United States Air Force Colonel Dr. John Stapp.

Stapp was a flight surgeon and biophysicist who conducted groundbreaking research on how much G-force people can withstand as it launches into space atop a rocket, streaks across the sky in a jet, or explosively jettisons out of a cockpit via an ejector seat. (1G is equivalent to gravity at Earth's surface; 2G of force makes you feel twice as heavy.)

And without the advanced crash test dummies we have today, Stapp took matters into his own hands, strapping himself to a rocket-propelled sled and subjecting his body to terrifying physics.

Stapp's contributions improved aircraft safety and led to the development of seat belts in cars.

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Here's his incredible story.

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Dr. John Stapp earned both a PhD in biophysics and a medical degree before joining the pre-Air Force Army Air Corps in 1944. He researched oxygen systems in unpressurized planes, working to protect pilots from "the bends" at high altitudes.

John Stapp air force photo
Courtesy U.S. Air Force

But his life took a turn in 1947, right before Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier (670 mph at 45,000 feet). Aircraft were getting much faster, but the effects of enormous forces exerted on pilots at higher and higher speeds was still largely unknown.

Chuck_Yeager
U.S. Air Force
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So Colonel Stapp volunteered to study the effects of high G forces on the human body as it rapidly decelerates, simulating crashes with rocket sleds capable of reaching brain-melting speeds.

Rocket sled track
U.S. Air Force

One of the sleds Stapp conducted research on was known as "G-Whiz," located at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of southern California. The sled traveled along a 2,000-foot-long track.

Maj Stapp on G Whiz Rocket Sled   Nov 50 Run (Note the photo markings on his cheek, leg, and arms
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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And using a hydraulic braking system, it could decelerate from 150 mph to a full stop in just 1/5th of a second.

View of the G Whiz Hydraylic Brake System
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

Stapp didn't just research the bone-rattling effects of G forces from afar — he subjected his own body to the tests.

John Stapp pre run
The straps on his helmet were necessary to keep Stapp's head in place on the seat back. Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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See the high-ranking officer in the sharp uniform (right)? That's Stapp, the human crash-test dummy.

Capt Stapp with G Whiz Crew
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

The high G forces Stapp endured were not comfortable. After all, he was simulating the kind of force experienced during an airplane crash.

Acceleration
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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For some runs, Stapp was lucky enough to have a windscreen attached to the sled.

John Stapp serene
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

But in many tests, only a helmet protected him from the massive wind forces generated by a rocket-propelled sled on rails.

Col John Paul Stapp strapped into the Sonic Wind (10 Dec 54) (Side 1)
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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Stapp always kept a pretty level-headed disposition during these crazy tests. Promotions by the Air Force, as well as strong suggestions that chimpanzees would make fine test subjects, could not keep Stapp out of the rocket sled.

Stapp Smiles
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

Source: Wings/Air Power Magazine

His last run went down at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base on December 10, 1954, aboard the Sonic Wind No. 1 sled. During that event, Stapp broke the land speed record when he reached 632 mph, earning him the title fastest man on Earth.

Dr. John Paul Stapp being prepped for his high speed run on Sonic Wind
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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He also set a new record for G-forces (46.2 Gs) a human has ever voluntarily withstood, which led to this great Time Magazine cover. Before Stapp's research, enduring 18 Gs was considered lethal.

Stapp Time Cover
Boris Artzybasheff/Time Magazine

Source: TimeWings/Airpower Magazine

Stapp was also an early advocate for seat belts, and pressured the Air Force to build an automotive test facility, which used the first crash-test dummies.

John Stapp all smiles
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office
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And he joined President Lyndon B. Johnson as he signed 1966 National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act. The law required seat belts in all new cars. Stapp also founded the still-running Stapp Car Crash Conference.

Stapp smiles as the strap him into G Whiz
Courtesy of the Air Force Test Center History Office

Source:Wings/Airpower Magazine, Stapp Car Crash Conference

Even after retiring from the rocket sleds, Stapp continued to conduct automotive and aerodynamic research. He did so until his death in 1999.

Stapp With Sled
AP Images
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So the next time you click in for a ride, be sure to thank Dr. John Stapp: the human crash-test dummy.

seatbelt buckle
Wikimedia Commons
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