As you know, the first manned flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is due to take place in May. This will be the first time since 2011 that astronauts have been sent into space from the United States. At the same time, this will be the second test launch of the Crew Dragon manned capsule before the final certification of the vehicle for regular missions. Ground rescue services for the ship's crew are also preparing for this launch.
Appeared on the NASA website that the other day, the ground crew rescue crew from the launch pad during emergency situations conducted a successful training session with the SpaceX team. Crew rescue systems have been an integral part of launch towers since the beginning of NASA's Apollo manned programs. Today it is a high-speed elevator for lifting the rescue team to the level of a manned capsule and a rescue gondola for high-speed descent along a cable to an armored car outside the site.
The elevator lifts the rescue team to a height of 81 meters in 30 seconds. The crew is removed from the capsule or leaves it itself, and the gondola lowers people along a stretched cable to a converted mine-protected MRAP armored car. Then all together they are carried away into the blue distance with the maximum possible speed, or they are sent to a protected bunker. At this time, fire extinguishing systems on the launch pad also work.
Checking the teamwork of the Launch Complex 39A at the Space Center. Kennedy in Florida and SpaceX was a success, NASA said. In a month or so, we are waiting for the launch of Crew Dragon. It can be hoped that the coronavirus pandemic will not stop this event. This is necessary to raise the enthusiasm of American citizens during the pandemic and economic crisis, as well as for the future election campaign of Donald Trump. Both of these factors should outweigh any objections to an early crewed Crew Dragon launch.
Source: 3dnews.ru