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NASA's Rollercoaster For Moon Rocket Escape
simonbp writes "NASA's Constellation Project has approved the Rollercoaster Escape System to be used as the Emergency Egress Systems (EES) for astronauts and pad crew to race away from the Ares I pad, should an emergency be called. The Ares I is the first of NASA's new moon/Mars rockets and is scheduled for a first manned flight in 2014." From the article: "An unpowered fixed single-rail system from the access arm level of the ML tower to the existing bunker would be used. The railcars could be enclosed to provide personnel protection. Each railcar can hold four to six people. The rail would follow the ML tower vertically down to the pad surface, then turn and continue close to the ground to the safety bunker. A passive magnetic and friction braking system will decelerate the cars at the tracks end as well as prevent the cars from hitting each other."
is this all about?
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The Republican Party has decided to use the same system to safely shuttle away incumbent lawmakers from the Whitehouse.
Be sure to assign lots of Handymen to the exit area. Sounds like this thing will have a maxed out the Nausea Rating.
How much to ride the rollercoaster?
personnel will need to pass a series of "You must be taller than this sign" tests prior to entering the launchpad area.
WHHEEEEEE!!!
My first reaction was ... Is this a joke? Even the pictures, with a massive roller coaster running up the side of a booster launcher, look rather ridiculous.
But alas, this is real NASA "innovation". It seems that any device that allows the crew to jettison themselves quickly from the new rocket just increases the risks associated with it. How many malfunctions (e.g. explosions after crew entry but before liftoff) have happened in the past where this would be useful?
I view this as being about as useful as an eject seat for a passenger car. But then again, the details for this device are so hazy (and difficult to understand), that maybe I'm just not getting it.
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To use the escape system you have to egress from the spacecraft and enter the "rollercoaster". To me this seems like the ideal time for the final explosion which might have actually left the crew alive had they been in a capsule, which after all, is suposed to protect the crew in a hostile environment.
So I can see the crews weighing the risk of staying aginst the risk of trying to get away and deciding to stay.
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Rollercoaster Escape System.....RES ME!!
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/ Slidetude System: / 'A fixed slide tube made of either metal or hard plastic/fiberglass will extend from the access arm level of the ML tower or FSS / to the existing bunker located on the west side of the pad. / 'The egress route will be across the access arm to the slide tube, down the slide tube to the bunker, and into the bunker. Each / person would enter the tube one at a time from the crew access level on the tower and slide the distance to the bunker.' The first thing that came to mind when I read this was that they could purchase the sections from McDonalds for the slide. It would have to end in a ball-pit in the bunker though.
You can fix anything with duct tape and sticks.
Just imagine how crazy this would look to someone from 1950.. "Oh yes! we went to the Moon 40 years ago... this rocket is on its way to Mars.. Now, look to your left and you'll see our amazing new state of the art roller coaster escape system"
Come on NASA you can do better than this.. it is nearly 2010 !
With a headline worded like that, I sincerely hope for the astronauts' sake that Zonk is not writing the manual for this rollercoaster.
nt
"Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts." - Henry A
Look Houston, no hands!! In all seriousness, though, astronauts are already complaining about the $350 fee for the picture that is taken on the way down the MT.
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ohplease ohplease ohplease ohplease call an emergency PLEASE PLEASE!
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Looking at those pictures - I'll take my chances with the rocket thank you very much.
*runs*
So, what's the point? The current shuttle seems to have a rather serviceable, *simple* cable-based basket escape system. This new one seems way too complicated. For example, the new system: A passive magnetic and friction braking system will decelerate the cars at the tracks end as well as prevent the cars from hitting each other. The old system? The baskets hit a net at the bottom. Keep it simple, stupid.
And like someone mentioned before, the crew would actually have to exit the capsule to use this escape system. Since the Ares system actually has an escape rocket to pull the capsule away from the stack like Mercury, Gemini, Apollo had and the Soyuz has currently, I'd rather take my chances with that.
Of course, any useful background information behind this decision is behind nasaspaceflight.com's L2 pay service, so unfortunately facts on the new system are scant.
I couldn't tell you if this system was developed before or after the Apollo 1 fire, but there was a launch tower escape system that consisted of a guy wire to the ground. In an emergency the crew would evac to a tower platform and into a harness, down the guy wire and into a block house. While not as sexy a high tech roller coaster, thanks to its simplicity probably more reliable. Why make things more complex than they need to be? I tried to find some information on the web but came up empty handed.
This system is not to be confused with the Launch Escape System that sat atop the capsule, which was a couple of small rockets intended to pull the capsule away from the main rocket assembly either on the pad or in flight if there was a catastrophic failure.
I mean, 'cmon... We've been doing ejection seat type systems for what, 40 to 50 years now? These kinds of systems are very, very reliable. Other spacecraft have used similar systems. The F-111 had/has such a system if I remember correctly. The (lack of) speed for manual egress of the capsule and then letting slow gravity draw them right down past the volatile fuels/oxidizers... Not a good plan IMHO. Much better to pull them up and away immediately within a controlled and protected environment.
--- Just another Code-Monkey
Please, someone tell me why they are building these retro rockets for man mission to Mars?
NASA should be focusing on a new Shuttle capable in carrying a sizable payload to mars. Payload that can be left behind on Mars. I would leave behind a Nuclear Powered Device capable in releasing more C02 into the atmosphere. Those who don't know, releasing additional greenhouses into Mars' atmosphere might stimulate terraforming.
And oh yeah, Roller Coaster idea is a simple, inexpensive and effective way to provide escape for astronauts. And Astronaut won't loose their lunch on it either since they are trained to handle the Gs of a shuttle launching.
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This is nuts on so many levels.
/s/moon/mars.
The system is insanely complicated for an insanely expensive program to go to MARS! Are you kidding me? They should pull the plug on the entire NASA program, and fund John Carmack and Richard Branson with the money.
The international space station is basically a big ego stroking excercise. For anyone following the actual science being conducted up there over the billions being spent, you'll instantly realize about 100x more space science could be done by others for the same cost. Seriously, someone needs to do a cost / benefit equation on NASA.
Realize that this whole put people on Mars system is the BEST program, the best idea that our BILLIONS of dollars being spent on NASA can come up. It's like they watched an old video of the plans to go to the moon, and unable to come up with any of their own ideas said
The folks actually doing real space work have it right. NASA is the dead end for space for America. While they dream up this BS, they are cutting actual science programs by the bucket load.
It seems to be missing any exhilarating features, other than the exploding 8 million pound rocket, which really seems like old hat by today's theme park standards. They should really add in a corkscrew or something.
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The title and article text is a bit misleading, as the Ares I will be used for more than just the moon and Mars... The Orion capsule on the Ares I can be configured to carry crew or supplies to the ISS, or do "solo" orbital flights, or mate with the moon/Mars vehicles lifted by the Ares V...
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Everyone knows that Ares 1 is a fake project. We are never going to go back to the Moon or elsewhere this century. Manned spaceflight beyond LEO is essentially dead. Instead we are weaponizing near-space.
This is a scheme for losers. Real men go to Mars like this:
1) Test, build and launch a powerful ion-drive (no 1). Put it in Earth-orbit, let it pick up speed during a few months.
2) Build a second one (no 2), after a few months of speed-gathering around Earth send it unmanned to Mars, let it orbit there. On board it has a rocket engine and some fuel that is to be used later on.
3) Test, build and launch a space-plane with big enough wings to allow horizontal take-off. Prior to launch, be sure to put the crew in it.
4) Dock the space-plane to the orbiting ion-drive no 1, do some manoeuvering and head to Mars. This trip should go fast enough (a few weeks) because by now the ion-drive has picked up considerable speed, however admitting the docking-manoeuver. If needed an on-board rocket can be used to add extra speed. Drop the rocket once enough speed is gained.
5) Upon arriving at Mars some deceleration is needed, therefore perform a docking manoeuver with ion-drive no 2. It's on-board rocket can help the deceleration and assists also in landing the crew on solid bottom on Mars.
6) Plant the US flag and claim the whole planet just to annoy the rest of the world. Should be great fun.. Subsequently grab some dust & rocks to add a bit of scientific credibility.
7) While all this was goin on, another ion-drive no 3 (with or without a rocket & enough fuel) was also sent unmanned to Mars and put in orbit.
8) Let the crew leave Mars, again using the on-board rocket of ion-drive no 2. Just enough fuel to make the hop and dock to no 3 would do the trick.
9) Head to Earth.
10) Using the same procedure as described earlier, let them land on Earth.
This scheme certainly will appeal the public & some investors: it has some modern gizmo's, it is a tale of many exciting chapters & key-moments and it will certainly get the attention of the rest of the world, just like in old times!
less is more
You're right it was a basket of some sort. Oops. I recall that it was also featured in a Six Million Dollar Man episode when agents attempted to sabotage a Saturn rocket and they had to evacuate.
I've wondered how people might be able to evac very fast from a damaged skyscraper - stairs suck, they're too slow, too prone to blockage, and they crowd up in proportion to building height. So, how about copying this NASA idea and using some system of escape pods and vertical free fall roller coasters?
Imagine if we have some terrorist, albino, nut-job that wants to blow things up. This is would've saved everyone in "Contact" for sure!
That sounds like an E-Ticket[tm] ride to be sure. How long before Journey to Mars becomes Escape From the Journey to Mars at EPCOT (Every Person Comes Out Tired)?
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insightful
Did you see that thing, over the edge and straight down --whoosh-- I'd pay to ride it without a loop-d-loop.
... build a waterslide.
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Where have those days gone, when we could joyfully chuckle at NASA's foibles?
Ah, the halcyon days of yore. The early Mercury mistakes. The Apollo agitations. The Titan tribulations.
Darn ol' Challenger—and recently, Columbia—had to make them all serious again. Phooey.
But now, disaster spells F-U-N!
Fuel leak! Abandon the gantry! Certain death imminent! WHeeeeeeeeeee!
Though I'm certain they will approach the new evacuation system with the utmost [chuckle] sincerity.
Psst... when is our next fire drill? I'm bringin' popcorn!
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