NASA Crash-Test Dummies Take a Beating

via Digital Trends

NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia recently offered a fascinating peek at its work to make aviation safer for us all, from passengers in airplanes to astronauts in space capsules.

A video posted on YouTube explains how the team’s work “ranges from next-generation aircraft to water-impact tests that evaluate the splashdown of Orion astronaut crew capsules returning from space.”

Many of the experiments involve the use of crash-test dummies, similar to the ones used by car safety designers working on ways to improve the protection of a vehicle’s occupants in the event of a collision.

NASA’s dummies are packed with sensors that provide engineers with a slew of data from each impact test.

With crash scenarios aplenty, the video clips may not offer the best viewing experience for nervous fliers, but for those interested in the team’s work, the brief insight is sure to prove fascinating.

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