Evening star., 1950-04-28
Volunteers Test Effects
Of PIone Crash Injuries
'Humon Decelerutor' Devised
At California Air Force Bose
By Thomos R. Henry


How hard 8 crash landing can . man
survive?
What can be done 70 minimize the
injury?
Air Force soldier volunteers are sub
jecting themselves TO experiments de-
signed to answer these questions with
human 'decelerator" devised by the
Aero Medical laboratory at Muroc Air
Force Base In California.
The decelerator consists Of q 1900
pound carriage mounted on q 70o0-ft.
railway track. The carriage has the
most powerful braking system ever cor.
structed. Its object is essentially TO
duplicate 20o0-foot fall at various
speeds. 1t is propelled by rockets.
One Test Series Completed.
The volunteers have already COM
pleted one series Of tests in both for.
ward and backward facing positions in
which. when the carriage stops, the
subjects body is pressed against his seat
support or harness by a pressure equal
to 35 times the weight Of his body. In
the case of a man weighing ITS pounds
this pressure would be about 6,l2S
pounds. II unprotected he would be
hurled against the aircraft structure
with the same force.
A crash" of this type Is obtained by
slowing the carriage and rider from
$50 to rs miles an hour in a NTH Of a
second.
The volunteer experiences the same
sensation as an automobile driver would
have, If he stopped his car which was
travelling rs miles an hour in Just nine
feet.
Volunteers Survive.
The volunteers have survived these
tests without serious injury. the Air
Forces announce.
Each volunteer first is subjected to a
thorough physical examination and then
strapped in position. He may be facing
forward or backward or even lying down
because that position is being considered
for certain crew members. Instruments
to measure forces and preSsures are
fastened to the individual. as well as his
harness and seat All changes during
the experiment are transmitted as radio
signals and recorded in the control room
High speed movie cameras also provide
valuable data to evaluate the immedi-
ate effects.
The rockets are fired simultaneously
at the rear of the carriage as the volun-
teer braces himself. The maximum
velocity of the carriage when 1t stops
may be as great as 240 miles an hour.
The worlds food supply is becoming
less adequate for an increasing and
always underfed population.
Before the war % per cent Of the
population received a sub-marginal sup
y.1xr ~ np nUF
that underfed proportion has risen to
35 per cent.
In 1899 so per cent Of the worlds
population received the barely adequate
supply of 2,240 calories a day. Now
this same proportion has dropped just
below adequacy-to 2.100 calories or less.
1t is certain that 80 per cent Of the
entire world population is getting less
protein than before the war
Since 1945 the worlds food supplies
in terms of calories have risen by one
per cent. The population has risen
eight per cent.
Figures Given by FAC.
These are the figures announced here
by Sir Herbert Broadley. deputy director
general Of the Food and Agriculture Or
ganization of the United Nations whose
headquarters are in Washington.
Assuming that the present population
trend will remain the same. as is almost
certain to be the case. the prospects
become somewhat alarming, according to
the organizations forecasts.
Even ten years from now the food
increase requirements to provide barely
adequate nutrition for the estimated
population are astronomical. The needs
include an extra so million tons Of
cereals, 80 million tons of meat. $50 mil
lion tons of fruits and vegetables. and
35 million gallons of milk.
None of these figures are necessarily
correct to within the nearest million,
Sir Herbert Broadley said. but they give
a clear picture Of the troubles ahead.