NASA Tests Flying Airbag

coondoggie writes "NASA is looking to reduce the deadly impact of helicopter crashes on their pilots and passengers with what the agency calls a high-tech honeycomb airbag known as a deployable energy absorber. So in order to test out its technology NASA dropped a small helicopter from a height of 35 feet to see whether its deployable energy absorber, made up of an expandable honeycomb cushion, could handle the stress. The test crash hit the ground at about 54MPH at a 33 degree angle, what NASA called a relatively severe helicopter crash."

Anonymous Coward

[Anonymous Coward]

Thought you meant throwing a Senator out the window...

A flying airbag is whatcha get...

[macraig]

... when you strap my mother-in-law to a turbine engine. The rest of the plane is optional.

Re:This is a great development

[FatdogHaiku]

Be the first one on your block to have Personal Interceptor Missiles! Now available with micro-nukes for those neighbors that just won't turn the music down when asked.

On a related note

[muncadunc]

On a related note, I think final car safety tests should be performed with the CEOs of the car company inside the car.

Re:Severe Crash?

[ratsbane]

[sigh] Yes, but any helicopter that crashes from ABOVE 35 feet must also travel THROUGH 35 feet, thus a 35-foot test elevation should substitute for most helicopter crashes. One could certainly argue that a 5-foot test would effectively sample more scenarios than a 35-foot test, so perhaps they should test based upon that height instead. When will science learn that if you just use the right logic no one has to die.

Re:Apparently NASA does not obey the laws of physi

[19thNervousBreakdown]

Just put weights in it, duh.

Re:Demolition Man

[Cryacin]

Personally, I'd like to see something that locks (or jettisons) the rotor

I'm pretty sure that the poor schmuck watching on the ground would prefer your rotor to lock rather than jettison. Imagine a giant ninja start flying at your head.