It's amazing the SR 71 pilot survived. GBH

Page 307

...a military accident more similar to the Columbia accident occurred on
January 25, 1966 involving an SR-71 test flight.4 The pilot lost control of the aircraft, and the SR-71 broke up while flying at approximately Mach 3 at over 75,000 feet (~400 knots equivalent airspeed (KEAS)). The pilot survived, but the reconnaissance systems officer was killed.
Points of similarity to the Columbia accident include:

- The SR-71 accident occurred at high speed and relatively high altitude.
- The SR-71 aircraft breakup dynamics resulted in a fatality.
- The SR-71 aircraft breakup dynamics included crew member separation from the vehicle.
- The seat restraint straps failed.
- The SR-71 pressure suit is very similar to the shuttle ACES in design and construction.

- The dynamic pressure at the Columbia CMCE was roughly 405 pounds per square foot (psf) and the
dynamic pressure at SR-71 aircraft breakup was roughly 398 psf, a difference of less than 2%.
However, there are also notable differences between the two accidents.

These include:
- The SR-71 pilot’s suit pressurized automatically (as designed) when the cockpit depressurized due to
the aircraft breakup. The pilot attributed his survival to the pressurized suit, which protected him from
the low-pressure/low-O2 environment as well as the aerodynamic forces (windblast) that he experienced
when he separated from the aircraft. As discussed in the sections below, the Columbia suits did not
pressurize because the crew members did not lower visors or activate the suit O2 system. Additionally,
three crew members did not complete donning gloves, which is required for the suit to pressurize.

- While the Columbia crew members were exposed to a similar dynamic pressure environment as the
SR-71 crew members, the thermal environment of the Columbia accident was much more severe than
that experienced during the SR-71 breakup.

- Because of the altitude differences, the chemical environment (higher concentration of more reactive
monatomic oxygen) of the Columbia accident differs from that of the SR-71 breakup.

-The Columbia suits did not remain intact, whereas the SR-71 pressure suits did remain intact.