Learning Center Our Enshrinees

John Paul Stapp

• Became a research officer in the Aeromedical Laboratory of Wright Field, Ohio in 1946 where he studied problems of escaping from aircraft at high altitudes.
• Provided the effectiveness of a liquid oxygen breathing system and established preventative measures for high altitude bends and dehydration.
• Set out to find why some Air Force men died and others survived seemingly equally violent crashes. At Muroc AFB, California, he personally made 26 rocket-powered sled runs to test human reactions to high rates of acceleration (35 times that of gravity) and deceleration.
• At Holloman AFB, New Mexico, he attained a ground speed record at 636 mph in 1953 in a higher powered rocket sled, slamming to a stop in 1.25 seconds.
• Proved that an ejection seat could be used safely at supersonic speeds.
• Invited representatives of the military and auto industry to review his research on the necessity of seat belts in 1954.
• Became a consultant to the Surgeon General of the United States and NASA after retiring from the military in 1970.