Science: Mach I at Zero

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The Air Force, with supersonic craft already in the air, has not lost its taste or its need for high-speed derring-do. At Holloman Air Force Base, N.Mex., is a menacing contraption: a rocket-propelled sled that travels on railroad rails at 750 m.p.h. As an additional attraction, the passenger sits in a chair that tumbles over and over 180 times a minute. The rig is designed to simulate the air pressure and violent rotation encountered by a pilot who bails out of a fighter plane at the peak of its speed.

So far, only dummies have ridden in this disquieting sled, which can withstand forces up to 100G's. So when Lieut. Colonel John P. Stapp, 43 (TIME, January 18), head of the test project, called for human volunteers a fortnight ago, he could not have been sure how many would respond. Flying at the speed of sound in a comfortable airplane designed for the purpose is not the same thing as sliding at the same speed in a rocket-pushed sled at zero altitude.

Last week Colonel Stapp reported happily that he already has more volunteers than he can handle. He also announced that the first man to ride in the roaring sled would be Volunteer John P. Stapp.