HANS Going to Outer Space

Two worlds have collided in 2010 perhaps more than they have ever collided before. Maybe for the first time in history, a great level of collaboration between the automotive and space exploration industries was achieved this year, in some cases driven by need (as was the case with NASA's involvement in the Toyota acceleration issues) and in others by dreams (Robonaut 2 and its yet unsuccessful attempt to fly into space).

But the year is not over yet, nor are the possibilities of blending elements of one world into another. Some of you, especially those with a thing for motorsports, know what a Head And Neck Support (HANS) device is and how it works.

That system, which has proven invaluable for drivers in the various racing competitions around the world, is currently being tested by NASA, who wants to see if it can use the device, with some modifications, of course, to improve crash restraints for astronauts.

The first test of the system has already been conducted, according to NASCAR, at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The work on this device, adapted for NASA's needs, started in 2008, when the aerospace agency began looking into NASCAR's database, researching the HANS device and the way it works.

"The issue is to understand crew safety well enough to optimize crash injury reduction with the many, many other considerations such as weight and the unique environment of space and other threats to crew safety like emergency egress," said Robert Hubbard, the inventor of the device.

NASA has already developed its own HANS prototype, a carbon fiber one comprised of a round collar and yoke and a helmet and neck ring to match.