Sean Brennan, associate professor of mechanical engineering and adviser to the Science U camp on Robots, Rockets and Racecars, talks with campers about the mechanics of the operation that will crash a car at Penn State Larson Institute’s Crash Test Research Facility. He explained that a pulley system pulls the car down the track until it reaches the yellow box in front of him, at which point the box shears off the connection between the car and the pulley, allowing it to go up the ramp and become airborne.

A worker moved a car into place beyond the launch ramps that will send another car airborne for a crash test at Penn State Larson Institute’s Crash Test Research Facility for the benefit of campers attending the Science U camp on Robots, Rockets and Racecars. The hope was that the car being launched into the air would crash into this car.

A car goes airborn during a crash test performed at Penn State Larson Institute’s Crash Test Research Facility for campers attending the Science U camp on Robots, Rockets and Racecars. The camp's adviser, Sean Brennan, associate professor of mechanical engineering, spoke to the campers before the crash test, explaining how it would be run and what he expected would happen.

Campers from the Science U camp on Robots, Rockets and Racecars examine a car moments after it was crashed in a test conducted at Penn State Larson Institute’s Crash Test Research Facility.

Campers from the Science U camp on Robots, Rockets and Racecars examine the damage done to the inside of a car moments after it was crashed in a test conducted at Penn State Larson Institute’s Crash Test Research Facility.