As NASA prepares for the Artemis II mission, the first crewed landing on the Moon, the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been buzzing with activity as teams are conducting crucial emergency preparedness exercises. Central to these preparations is the agency's Pad Rescue team, a specialized group committed to ensuring the safe evacuation of crew and personnel in the rare event of an emergency at the launch pad.
What the Pad Rescue team does:
Quick Response: If something goes wrong during a launch countdown, the Pad Rescue team is on standby in heavily armoured vehicles, known as MRAPs. Their job is to quickly reach the launch pad, help any personnel in danger, and get them to safety.
Training for Various Scenarios: The team is well-trained for different types of emergencies, such as fire or leaks. They are also familiar with various spacecraft, launch pads, and even the specific spacesuits worn by astronauts. This preparation is crucial because each mission may have unique systems and protocols.
Recent Training for Artemis II: As NASA prepares for Artemis II, the first crewed mission in the Artemis series, the Pad Rescue team has been practicing emergency procedures specific to this mission. This includes learning how to assist astronauts in leaving the launch tower quickly in case of a problem, like a hydrogen leak.
Importance for Artemis Mission:
Artemis II is a significant mission where four astronauts will orbit the Moon, marking a crucial step toward NASA’s goal of establishing a long-term presence on the lunar surface. The Pad Rescue team's role is vital to ensure the safety of these astronauts during the critical moments of launch.
In essence, this team acts as a safeguard, ensuring that all personnel involved in these high-stakes missions can be quickly and safely evacuated if an emergency occurs. This preparation is part of NASA's broader efforts to ensure the success and safety of its deep space exploration missions, including the Artemis program.
New Emergency Egress Systems for Artemis Missions
The latest Artemis II mission introduces a track cable escape system at Kennedy Space Center, with baskets designed to carry personnel quickly to safety. Despite these innovations, the need for such emergency measures has fortunately never arisen during a launch.
The History of Emergency Egress Systems
Since NASA began sending astronauts to space, the agency has relied on emergency systems for personnel to safely leave the launch pad and escape the hazard in the unlikely event of an emergency during the launch countdown.
During the Mercury and Gemini programs, NASA used launch escape systems on spacecraft for the crew to safely evacuate if needed. Though these systems are still in use for spacecraft today, the emergency routes on the ground were updated starting with the Apollo missions to account for not only the crew, but all remaining personnel at the launch pad.
During Apollo, personnel relied on a ground-based emergency egress system – or emergency exit route – to allow for a quick and safe departure. Though the system has varied over time and different launch pads use different escape systems, the overall goal has stayed the same – quickly leave the launch pad and head to safety.
The Artemis Emergency Egress System
Beginning with Artemis II, the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will use a track cable that connects the mobile launcher to the perimeter area of the launch pad where four baskets, similar to gondolas at ski lifts, can ride down. Once down at the ground level, armored emergency response vehicles are stationed to take personnel safely away from the launch pad to one of the triage site locations at Kennedy.
“We have four baskets that sit on the side of the mobile launcher tower at the same level as the crew access arm, the location where the crew enters the spacecraft,” said Amanda Arrieta, mobile launcher 1 senior element engineer for NASA’s EGS Program. “The intention is to provide another means of egress for the crew and the closeout crew in the event of an emergency. Each of these baskets will go down a wire. It’s a wire rope system that connects to the pad terminus, an area near the pad perimeter where the baskets will land after leaving the mobile launcher tower.”
The Artemis system works like this: personnel will exit the Orion spacecraft or the white room (depending where teams are at the time of the emergency) inside the crew access arm of the mobile launcher. Located on the 274-foot-level, teams are approximately 375 feet above the ground. From there, they will head down the 1,335-foot-long cables inside the emergency egress baskets to the launch pad perimeter, or the pad terminus area. Each basket, which is similar in size to a small SUV, is designed to carry up to five people or a maximum weight of 1,500 pounds.
Once teams have left the terminus area and arrive at the triage site location, emergency response crews are there to evaluate and take care of any personnel.
“When we send our crews to the pad during launch, their safety is always at the forefront of our minds. While it is very unlikely that we will need the emergency egress and pad abort systems, they are built and tested to ensure that if we do need them then they are ready to go,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director. “Our upcoming integrated ground systems training is about demonstrating the capability of the entire emergency egress response from the time an emergency condition is declared until we have the crews, both flight and ground, safely accounted for outside the hazardous area.”
Other Emergency Egress Systems Used by NASA
For the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX uses a slidewire cable with baskets that ride down the cable at the Launch Complex 39A pad. At Space Launch Complex 40, meanwhile, the team uses a deployable chute for its emergency egress system. Boeing and United Launch Alliance also use a slidewire, but instead of baskets, the team deploys seats that ride down the slide wires, similar to riding down a zip line, at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Artemis II will be NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft and will also introduce several new ground systems for the first time – including the emergency egress system. Though no NASA mission to date has needed to use its ground-based emergency egress system during launch countdown, those safety measures are still in place and maintained as a top priority for the agency.
The Importance of Safety for NASA Missions
As NASA continues its push for human exploration of the Moon and Mars, the agency remains committed to prioritizing the safety of its astronauts and personnel. This commitment is evident in the rigorous training and advanced emergency systems that are in place for each mission. The Pad Rescue team stands as a testament to this commitment, ensuring that even in the event of an unlikely emergency, NASA is ready to act quickly and efficiently to protect its valuable human assets.
