True Story
 

True Story

Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the
windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling
at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of
collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the
windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a
gun was sent to the British engineers. When the gun was fired, the engineers
stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the
shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control
console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two and embedded itself in the
back wall of! the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow. The horrified Brits
sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs
of the windshield and begged the US scientists for suggestions. You're going
to love this. NASA responded with a one-line memo:

"Defrost the chicken."

I heard that one before and sounds about right.:D

sad but true I seen a TV show and they had an F-16 pilot that lost his arm due to a Goose that went through his canopy at several 100 Mph Then they developed the new canopy that is being used now the old 1's use to shatter and the birds would go right through.

Thats a good one!!! :p

You don't think it's true?

they just made a gun to shoot foam at the wings on the space shuttle. did you see the hole it blew in the wing?

It' true I heard of the "chicken gun" a long time ago..When we first starting using the F-16 Canopies..

The Space shuttle wing test was carbon fiber a material that is just waiting for a reason th shatter..Like a China Plate

Do the simple Math like on the Impact force of the piece of the foam (weight) in question even assuming there was no Ice (imposable being close to the sea and cryogenic temperature's involved) By the Speed in feet per second. Now imagine a very large sledge hammer..

But again NASA just loves management incompetence as in any government Ruled program.

True story about the gun!

The bird impact testing is done at Arnold Engineering & Development Center in Tullahoma, TN

I seen the story all about it on the learning channel.

Last week I seen the story about NASA testing the wings with the new gun shooting foam at it. It blew the wing apart like a rock hitting glass

As rough as our winter was last year, I think that they would be well advised to continue testing with the frozen chickens!