Simple, Compact, Safe Impact Tester

An apparatus has been designed and built for testing the effects, on moderatesized objects, of cushioned decelerations having magnitudes ranging up to several hundred g [where g = normal Earth gravitational acceleration ( ≈9.8 m/s2)]. The apparatus was originally intended for use in assessing the ability of scientific instruments in spacecraft to withstand cushioned impacts of landings on remote planets. Although such landings can have impact velocities of 20 to 50 m/s, the decelerations must not exceed a few hundred g. This requires the deceleration to occur over a distance of as much as 50 cm in a time of tens of milliseconds. This combination of conditions is surprisingly difficult to simulate on the ground. The apparatus could also be used for general impact testing.