Why it matters: We all know the purpose of an ejector seat, but do we really know exactly how they work? This piece breaks down the inner workings of ejector seats ... down to the sequence of events that takes place in fractions of seconds. The piece also features comments from pilots who've had to eject. What kind of pain can ejecting out of a plane moving as fast as 700 miles per hour inflict on the human body? As one ejectee explains, "It was inconvenient."