Landing a capsule on a huge airbag?

JRS: In article , seen in
news:sci.space.tech, Sander Vesik posted at
Thu, 25 Sep 2003 18:52:27 :-
Dr John Stockton wrote:

The vehicle has one degree of reusability-importance and one degree of
impact-resistance; a passenger has a different degree of each. Design
for these appropriately.

Just consider the state of the car after a car-into-wall crash in which
a well-deployed airbag made the occupant into a minor medical case.
Normally, I believe, not reusable.


But cars are not designed for such. You could design such a car -
start with a VW Beetle and make sure front and backparts are easy
to separate and that you can attach a new front part.

You remind me of a cartoon by one of the UK's great motoring
cartoonists.

A manifest veteran enthusiast in an open-top Jaguar was surprised and
disgruntled at being overtaken by a youth driving a small car consisting
of the front of a (FWD) Mini welded to the back of a (rear-engined) VW
Beetle. Two engines beats one.


However, I introduced the car to show that there exist circumstances
where the passengers are very much less harmed than the vehicle.

--
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