98424 “SPACE AGE RAILROAD” U.S. AIR FORCE ROCKET SLED TRACK HOLLOMAN NEW MEXICO JOHN PAUL STAPP

This movie “Space Age Railroad” profiles the high speed rocket sled track at Holloman Air Force Base, and features pioneer human factors researcher Dr. John Paul Stapp. The film opens with an aerial view over some train tracks, 00:25. Aerial view of some rocky terrain, 00:49. Aerial view of the Tularosa Basin, South Central New Mexico. Picture of a cross on a mountain top, 1:08. Railroad workers working on train tracks, 1:48. High speed track at Holloman Air Force Base is shown, 2:02. Master rails and East rails are shown, 2:17. At 2:42 Stapp discusses the origins of the high-speed test track and one of the tests he participated in is shown. This was Stapp’s 29th and final ride at Holloman, Stapp demonstrated that a human can withstand at least 46.2 g (in the forward position, with adequate harnessing). This is the highest known acceleration voluntarily encountered by a human, set on December 10, 1954. Stapp reached a speed of 632 mph (1,017 km/h), which broke the land speed record and made him the fastest man on earth. Stapp believed that the tolerance of humans to acceleration had not yet been reached in tests. He believed it is much greater than thought possible.

Additional high-speed track sleds are shown, 3:14. High-speed sleds blast down the track, 3:26. The track construction method is shown with “dams” filled with water to slow the sleds down, 4:16. Slow motion blast testing at the Holloman air force base is shown, 5:14. Stapp discusses the rain-making equipment needed for operations at Holloman for track testing, 6:20. High-speed testing at Holloman, 7:00. “Midway” blockhouse at Holloman is featured, the brain center of the high-speed track, 7:15. Light beam interruption demonstration on the tracks, 8:10. Electronics featured at Midway station, 8:25. Optical systems and tracking towers at Holloman are featured, 9:15. 50-60 high speed cameras used at on one time for each high-speed test, 10:11. Aerial view of office complex and loading/storage facilities at Holloman, 10:15. Liquid and solid propellent rockets for high-speed testing, 10:24. Various testing sleds are shown, 11:13. North and south block houses at the track are featured, 11:55. Holloman control center workers, 12:40. Actual Holloman high-speed, slow-motion test footage from inside and outside the rocket cart, 13:20. Saturn response Test, 14:26. F-111 Escape Module Ejection test, 14:41. XV-4B Dual Seat Ejection, 15:00. Sledborne Target test, 15:22. Lance Missile Impacting Stationary Target, 15:47. High speed rocket sled blasts down the track, 17:07.

Holloman Air Force Base was established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo.Holloman is home to the world’s longest, at 50,188 feet (almost 10 miles/16 km), and fastest, approaching 10,000 feet per second (3,050 m/s, Mach 9), rocket sled test track, officially known as the Holloman High Speed Test Track.

The 49th Wing – host wing at Holloman Air Force Base – supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide to support peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides combat-ready Airmen, and trains General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper pilots (including all Spanish and British Reaper pilots[2]), sensor operators and F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots. Additionally, the wing delivers Air Transportable Clinics and Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources while providing support to more than 17,000 military and civilian personnel to include German Air Force Flying Training center operations. The wing has a proud history of service in World War II, Korea, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and NATO-led Operation Allied Force. Holloman AFB supports[when?] about 21,000 Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, retirees, DoD civilians and their family members.

Holloman is home to the world’s longest and fastest high speed test track. The 846th Test Squadron set the world land speed record for a railed vehicle with a run of 6,453 mph (2885 m/s or 10430 km/h), or Mach 8.5 on 30 April 2003.

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