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If you're properly restrained, you can survive absolutely massive g-forces. John Stapp survived 46g on a rocket sled; Indycar and Formula 1 drivers regularly wa
by jdietrich 10y ago
If you're properly restrained, you can survive absolutely massive g-forces. John Stapp survived 46g on a rocket sled; Indycar and Formula 1 drivers regularly walk away from >100g crashes. Assuming they're using a proven seat and restraint design, the capsule's own sensors should provide satisfactory data on survivability.
- fbender 10y agoJust to put some perspective on this, you are likely unable to survive >9g when experiencing it for more than a few moments, definitely so if you lack proper training for high Gs (there's a few techniques that help to avoid harm). The higher the G forces, the smaller the acceptable time scale is. In a crash, you will only experience such forces for a few milliseconds. Well-trained fighter pilots can handle ~9Gs for a few seconds. Apollo reentry had like 6Gs for ~50sec (take with a grain of salt, very rough numbers), which is brutal but manageable. And – no matter what the designers/operators say – in a roller coaster, you will never experience more than 1.5Gs for more than a fraction of a second. If you ever thought you experienced G-forces comparable to a rocket launch, you haven't, unless you had the chance to test/train in a centrifuge.