The black boxes are the name by which the safety devices that register the conversations of the cabin in an airplane and the behavior of the instruments are denominated. These devices are key in determining the reasons for aerial accidents, such as the one that occurred on Tuesday in Colombia, when the plane crashed in which the Brazilian team moved Chaperones to play in the final of the Cope.
The black boxes were invented by David Warren more than fifty years ago, while working in the Aeronautical Research Laboratory of the Australian Department of Defense. These boxes are subjected to impact tests of up to 3,500 kilos, of immersion under pressure of up to 6,000 meters and temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. In general two of these devices go in the back of the aircraft.
The devices are covered with bright paint with striking colors like orange and reflective tape. In addition they have an ultrasonic locator beacon and emits every 30 seconds a pulse that can be detected to more than 4 kilometers.
As for why they are called black boxes, there are different versions. One of them is that its name is due to the tragic fact and mourning that involves an accident. Another theory is that it is because the information contained therein cannot be altered in any way, except for specialized teams of air safety agencies.