Cool....!!
Team RE/MAX Balloon Takes Flight in Global Circumnavigation,
Pilots Martin, Wallington and Liniger Ride on Seats Designed by Simula, Inc., Simula-Built Sealed Bailout Parachute Systems Onboard for Emergency Use
PHOENIX, Ariz., Dec. 27, /PRNewswire/ -- Team RE/MAX won't have time to rest on their laurels as they attempt their multiple record-setting mission to be the first balloon crew to circumnavigate the Earth and set a manned ballooning altitude record. During their record-breaking journey pilots Bob Martin, John Wallington and Dave Liniger can rest assured, however, their seats designed and built by Simula, Inc. (NYSE: SMU) of Phoenix, Arizona, will provide optimal versatility and a good deal of comfort within their cramped quarters. Moreover, in the unlikely event of an emergency requiring the crew to abandon their gondola, Simula's patented, environmentally sealed parachute system with integrated life raft will get them safely back to Earth.
Simula Has a Long History of Innovation in Safety Technology
After being referred to Simula by NASA personnel, Team RE/MAX pilot and co-organizer Bob Martin contacted the company in late 1995 with his requirements for a versatile and lightweight balloon gondola seat design. NASA personnel referred Martin to Simula because of its reputation for innovations in safety technology and products. While Team RE/MAX has no intention of deploying their gondola parachute unless an emergency situation arises, they realized early in the planning stages of the voyage that the seats fitted aboard the Team RE/MAX gondola should help protect them against the forces associated with main parachute deployment. Simula's 23-year history of innovative and unique solutions in the development of crashworthy and ejection seating for military aircraft and personnel parachute systems were key factors in the company's decision to provide Team RE/MAX with its seat design.
This history includes extensive research, development, testing and analytical work in the determination of human tolerance to impact and injury, computer modeling of biomechanical and structural systems, and static and dynamic load testing of crash safety systems. Steven Zylstra, Director of Business Development at Simula Technologies, Simula's Phoenix-based R&D and testing affiliate, noted, "We were excited about the Team RE/MAX strategy overall. Other balloon teams had approached us in the past for engineering assistance, but we felt the Team RE/MAX approach was solid and unique. We especially liked their strategy of attempting to circumnavigate the globe by traveling above the weather and into the upper levels of the Earth's stratosphere."
Crew Safety, Seat Versatility, and Simplicity Were Key Design Requirements
Simula engineer Marv Richards was assigned as project manager for the Team RE/MAX seat design. "The RE/MAX team wanted a seat that was very compact and lightweight, mobile, and in an emergency could help protect the crew from spinal compression during the shock pulses associated with the gondola parachute opening and again upon landing," noted Richards. "The shock pulse of the parachute opening was analyzed and determined to be about 12 Gs (12 times the weight of gravity). The force [shock pulse] associated with the Team RE/MAX balloon landing with its main parachute deployed will be approximately 10 Gs."
Richards led a team of engineers at Simula Technologies to analyze the potential stresses placed upon the occupants while seated during their balloon flight and provide a seat design satisfying Team RE/MAX's requirements. The Simula team relied upon shock data made available to them by NASA from previous studies performed for space capsule descents and landings. "After studying our data as well as information provided us by NASA, we were able to satisfy Team RE/MAX's needs for a lightweight and versatile seat with adequate support," Richards remarked.
Simula's Seat Design Should Provide Crew Comforts Despite the Hardships of
Balloon Travel
After determining that the initial design met specifications, Simula engineers worked with the Team RE/MAX crew to optimize form, fit and comfort. "The crew tried various foams and cover materials and selected what worked best for them," Richards said. The seats were also designed to be easily moved about the gondola cabin and secured via a locking pin to the bulkhead. "Each crew member faces toward the center of the gondola during liftoff," Richards noted. "Once aloft, they turn their seats to face their instruments and controls. The seat backs can be easily released and then refastened to the desired orientation via a locking pin designed into them," he said.
Simula's Durachute(R) Provides the Team RE/MAX balloon Crew With
"Last Resort" Bailout Protection
The RE/MAX team is also equipped with Simula's patented Durachute(R) emergency bailout parachute in the unlikely event they must abandon their global balloon flight sooner -- and more abruptly -- than planned. The Durachute was originally designed in response to stringent military requirements for a highly reliable, very lightweight parachute for use in emergency bailout situations. The Durachute advantage to Team RE/MAX is its lightweight, low-bulk and comfort design, and compatibility within the Team RE/MAX balloon gondola.
Weight is a critical element in the selection of each component and piece of equipment used aboard the Team RE/MAX balloon. The crew's emergency bailout parachutes need to be very lightweight, easily stowed out of the way within the restricted quarters of the Team RE/MAX balloon. Perhaps even more important is that the parachutes can be quickly accessed in the event of an emergency -- the Durachute's advantage is that it is easily and quickly donned and adjusted for optimal comfort by each crew member. Among the Durachute's many unique features is that it is environmentally sealed after being packed, ensuring it will open and operate properly even after long periods of storage.
The Durachute's steerable canopy opens quickly and smoothly, is deployable at low altitudes, and allows for a low rate of descent. These advanced features combined with its high degree of operational reliability make the Durachute the best choice for the Team RE/MAX crew.
Simula, Inc. (NYSE: SMU), based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, is an acknowledged world leader in transportation safety and energy absorption technology. Its principal product lines are high-technology energy-absorbing aircraft seating systems; lightweight and efficient advanced composite structures; protective systems including inflatable restraints, air bags and ballistic armor; and rail and mass transit seating systems. Additional company information is available on the Internet at www.simula.com.
SOURCE Simula, Inc.
CO: Simula, Inc.; NASA
ST: Arizona
IN: AIR
SU:
12/27/98 13:24 EST prnewswire.com
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