1. John Paul Stapp was an American career US Air Force officer, flight surgeon, physician, biophysicist, and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration forces on humans.
25 Facts About John Stapp
1. 2.
John Stapp was a colleague and contemporary of Chuck Yeager, and became known as "the fastest man on earth".
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John Stapp studied in Texas at Brownwood High School in Brownwood and San Marcos Baptist Academy in San Marcos.
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In 1931, John Stapp received a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in Waco, an MA from Baylor in 1932, a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1940, and an MD from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 1944.
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John Stapp interned for one year at St Mary's Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota.
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John Stapp was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from Baylor University.
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John Stapp entered the US Army Air Forces on 5 October 1944 as a physician and qualified as a flight surgeon.
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John Stapp's work resolved that problem as well as many others, which allowed the next generation of high-altitude aircraft and the HALO insertion techniques.
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John Stapp was assigned to the deceleration project in March 1947.
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John Stapp retired from the US Air Force in 1970 with the rank of Colonel.
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John Stapp's work showed that a pilot could walk away from crashes when properly protected by harnesses if the seat does not break loose.
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John Stapp believed that the tolerance of humans to acceleration had not yet been reached in tests.
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John Stapp believed it is much greater than thought possible.
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John Stapp said "I felt a sensation in the eyes, somewhat like the extraction of a molar without anesthetic," but his survival without any permanent injuries supported the development of further safety technologies including the ejection seat.
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Also developed by John Stapp as an added safety measure was an improved version of the currently used shoulder strap and lap belt.
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John Stapp participated in wind-blast experiments, in which he flew in jet aircraft at high speeds to determine whether or not it was safe for a pilot to remain with his aircraft if the canopy should accidentally blow off.
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John Stapp supervised research programs in the field of human factors in escape from aircraft.
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John Stapp was an inveterate collector of aphorisms and adages, kept a logbook of such, and the practice spread to his entire working group.
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John Stapp is credited with creating John Stapp's Law during his work on the project.
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In 1973 John Stapp was awarded the Franklin Institute's Elliott Cresson Medal.
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In 1979 John Stapp was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame.
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In 1985, John Stapp was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame for his work in aviation safety.
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In 1991, John Stapp was awarded the National Medal of Technology, "for his research on the effects of mechanical force on living tissues leading to safety developments in crash protection technology".
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In 2012,13 years after his death, John Stapp was awarded the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers award.
25.
John Stapp died peacefully at his home in Alamogordo at the age of 89.