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Posted April 9th, 2007 byIn a crash, keeping the occupants alive and uninjured is paramount. As a part of the Structural Dynamics Branch in the Research and Technology Directorate at NASA Langley, the Landing and Impact Research Facility (LandIR) tests the safety of aircraft by crashing them. Dr. Karen Jackson is part of the research team.
According to Dr. Jackson, “LandIR was originally built in the early 1960s as a lunar landing research facility. Now LandIR is a full-scale test facility for air and spacecraft. We’re evaluating landing and attenuating systems for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, the Orion. These are not for lunar impacts, but when the capsule comes back to Earth.”
Read the “Who’s Who at NASA” interview with Dr. Karen Jackson on page 10 of the April issue, or click here.