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NASA Building Giant Roller Coaster For Science

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the still-no-excuse-for-300ft-pinwheel dept.

Jamie found a story of NASAs Giant "Science" Roller Coaster. It will be used as an escape chute on rocket launchpads, and will be the 3rd highest drop in the world. More like the Cedar Point Demon Drop than a roller coaster, but still, I'd ride it.

9 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Oh man. by Seumas · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just be sure you pack the adult diapers for that ride.

  2. Escape shoot? by ryants · · Score: 3, Funny

    Somewhere, Noah Webster and Samuel Johnson weep.

    --

    Ryan T. Sammartino
    "Ancora imparo"

  3. Re:Pedant Warning by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

    With a huge rocket possibly exploding behind you I believe shoot is the correct term ;)

    One minute you are sitting the aiming for the ky, the next you are hurtling downwards towards the centre of the Earth.
    I hope the harness is easier to use than a real coaster though, it should really just be a sheet of webbing covering everywhere at the push of a button.
    An injured guy in a spacesuit isn't going to be able to sit in correct position, you will just want to lob him in a row of seats and be done.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  4. Re:Pedant Warning by Nossie · · Score: 4, Funny

    I noticed your post had a few typos... but I'm not a nazi

    One question though, was the 'aiming for the KY' intentional? :)

  5. Is this really good for anything? by Maximum+Prophet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Has NASA ever had an accident where 4 minutes to escape is good enough? Most of the accidents that I've read about went "Boom" and was over, long before any escape system like this could work.

    --
    All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
  6. They didn't even give the Wikipedia link by p3d0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You can read more about it here.

    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  7. Re:Pedant Warning by somersault · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, when you've got a gigantic rocket pushing up your ass..

    --
    which is totally what she said
  8. Whee! by cheebie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I was at Cape Canaveral this past spring, just as a tourist. (Missed
    Buzz Aldrin signing his book by half an hour, dernit!) We took the better
    tour that let you see more of the launch pads and the construction sites.

    Anyway, the escape system they have right now is a zip line. If something
    bad is about to happen, the astronauts grab onto the harness and slide down
    a metal cable. There's a sorta-fire-proof vehicle at the end of the zip line
    ready to haul ass at a moments notice. Their instructions were to get in the
    vehicle and take off. Fast. I assume praying would also be involved. The
    guide said that MIGHT be enough to keep them from becoming BBQ, but not blowing
    up the craft is still the best strategy.

    Getting blown into space on top of a barely controlled explosion is still a
    pretty dangerous profession. I admire those with the guts to do it.

    1. Re:Whee! by cheebie · · Score: 3, Informative

      Correcting myself.

      I just remembered that they don't slide down individually. There's a
      basket they all get into, and THAT slides down the wire. Still sounds
      like a fun ride, as long as there aren't several tons of rocket fuel
      about to explode behind you.