Roller Coaster Could Be Launch Escape

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July 9, 2007 — The riskiest part of spaceflight undoubtedly is the launch, but just sitting atop a fully fueled rocket certainly would test one's mettle. To boost the chances of surviving a launch pad accident, NASA is looking to build a high-speed roller coaster as an escape system for crewmembers aboard its new Orion vehicles.

The roller coaster would replace the slidewire baskets that serve as the launch pad evacuation system for shuttle astronauts. When astronauts need to flee the current launch pad system, they can climb into the open baskets that slide down a wire to a bunker. So far, the baskets have never been used.

"The main point is to get the flight and ground crew off the pad in case of an emergency out there," said Ruth Gardner, who oversees ground systems development at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for NASA's new exploration program, Constellation.

The agency plans to retire the space shuttles in 2010 after construction of the International Space Station is complete and build capsule-style replacement ships that can travel to the station as well as the moon.

Future versions eventually would pave the way for human exploration of Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

NASA plans to turn over one of the shuttle's two launch pads to the Constellation program next year so modifications for the new spaceship can begin. The agency is reviewing proposals for the escape system and expects to announce a design contractor next month. Construction is scheduled to begin in two years.

The team originally considered seven escape systems, ranging from the slide-wire baskets used by the shuttle program to parachutes and vertical escape chutes used on oil rigs.

"As a result of 911 (terrorist attacks) there's been a lot of research in systems developed to evacuate high-rises," Gardner said. "Most of the ones we looked at required a lot of human participation throughout the process. If crewmembers are incapacitated, they may have a hard time getting through most of them."

In addition to ease of use, NASA wants a system that's low maintenance, unlike the slidewire baskets, and most importantly, one that will be ready by the time the new ships are ready for their debut flight in 2012.

NASA also wants the 367-foot drop from the capsule's entry hatch to the ground to happen as quickly as possible to better the crew's chances of survival.

In addition to accommodating the four to six astronauts aboard the capsule, NASA is designing the new escape system to carry ground support crew who may still be on the launch pad during an emergency. The roller coaster is designed to hold 15 people.

And of course, it has to work — even if the pad loses power. The winning contractor would need to design a system that would carry launch pad evacuees from the tower to a bunker or other safe haven within two minutes. NASA pegs construction costs at $5 million to $10 million.