• Question: What's the maximum gravity that the human body can tolerate?

    Asked by jodlington to Kate, Kieren, Nicola, Rowena, Roy on 14 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Kate Nicholson

      Kate Nicholson answered on 14 Mar 2014:

      That depends on how long for and in which direction – we are a lot more squishable from the front and don’t do too well with blood rushing to or away from our brains either!
      The record is held by John Stapp at 46.2g from a rocket powered ejection seat, he was one of the pioneering human test dummies (although this did give him permanent eye damage and he suffered a few broken bones too!)
      Typically 5g is the limit for a normal person without a pressure suit over a few minutes, trained pilots can take this up to 9g and 11g in quick turns, and if its only for a short time like in the few seconds of a crash then up to 35g is survivable.

    • Photo: Rowena Fletcher-Wood

      Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 14 Mar 2014:

      Gravity is an acceleration where on earth g = 9.8m/s^2, but we feel it as weight. So if I were to leap off a building tall enough the acceleration would be enough that when I hit the grpund it killed me. Standing still, my organs aren’t accelerating to the ground fast enough to give me “the shrinks” but I will get shorter with age. Did you know we’re taller in the morning than evening? Measure yourself one day! So I wonder if we can “cure” aging will we just gt shorter and shorter over time and will even the gravity on earth be enough to eventually kill us? A long, slooooow death by acceleration. It’s definitely possible!

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