Orion Emergency Egress System

[Palomar]

I checked via "Search" to see if this has been previously posted. Seems it hasn't:

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Astron...rgency_999.html

Astronauts To Ride Rails In Emergency

it is fundamentally a group of multi-passenger cars on a set of rails reminiscent of a roller coaster. Its purpose is to move astronauts and ground crew quickly from the vehicle entry on the launch pad to a protective concrete bunker in case of an emergency

Kelli Maloney, the lead designer for the launch pad escape system, said a trade study showed the railcar best met NASA's requirements. Those requirements call for astronauts to be able to get out of the spacecraft and into the bunker within 4 minutes.

One of the benefits of the rail system, Maloney said, is that the track can take the astronauts directly to the bunker door. That would be a big help if one of the crew members or a ground crew member was incapacitated.

[samkent]

That's fine but how many explosions give you 4 minutes warning?
Give me a cable into the nearest swamp water.

[Nicolas]

It has been posted before on this board. I can't find it though. Try "roller coaster" as search term .

[Larry Jacks]

"Roller coaster" did it. I knew we'd discussed this before but couldn't find the thread. Here it is.

[KaiYeves]

I only know the word "Egress" from that joke about PT Barnum's museum...

[publiusr]

When not in use, it is rented out to the State Fair.

Coffee money to the crawler guys. :^O