Shuttle crew escape systems test is conducted by astronauts Steven R. Nagel (left) and Manley L. (Sonny) Carter in JSC One Gravity Mockup and Training Facilities Bldg 9A crew compartment trainer (CCT). Nagel and Carter are evaluating methods for crew escape during Space Shuttle controlled gliding flight. JSC test was done in advance of tests scheduled for facilities in California and Utah. Here, Carter serves as test subject evaluating egress positioning for the tractor rocket escape method - one of the two systems currently being closely studied by NASA.

Astronaut Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot for the STS-60 mission, prepares to simulate egress from a troubled Space Shuttle using Crew Escape System (CES) pole. The action came during emergency egress training in JSC's Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory.

S93-25030 (15 Dec 1992) --- Two astronauts assigned to fly aboard Endeavour for the STS-54 mission are briefed on the slidewire escape system at the launch pad. Pictured in the slidewire litter are astronauts Gregory J. Harbaugh (left) and Susan J. Helms, mission specialists. They are assisted by Max Kandler of Lockheed, Houston. All five crewmembers are in Florida this week to participate in countdown demonstration tests.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

A full-scale flight-test mockup of the Constellation program's Orion crew vehicle arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in late March 2008 to undergo preparations for the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system later that year. Engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. The Orion crew module mockup was ferried to NASA Dryden on an Air Force C-17. After painting in the Edwards Air Force Base paint hangar, the conical capsule was taken to Dryden for installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics prior to being sent to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for integration with the escape system and the first abort flight test in late 2008. The tests were designed to ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

S88-40898 (4 May 1988) --- Astronauts, members of the orbiter close-out crew and fire and rescue personnel participate in a simulated emergency egress exercise near the slide wire termination point bunker at Launch Pad 39B. The simulated exercise was performed to familiarize personnel with evacuation routes as well as emergency equipment and procedures. Reasons for conducting the emergency exercises include the need to validate recent post-Challenger upgrades to the launch pad's emergency escape system and the new procedures developed in preparation for STS-26. (NOTE: The astronaut pictured and many of the others who participated in the exercises are not members of STS-26 prime crew).

S93-25028 (15 Dec 1992) --- Astronauts assigned to fly aboard Endeavour pose near the Shuttle during a break in countdown demonstration tests. Left to right are Susan J. Helms, Donald R. McMonagle, Gregory J. Harbaugh, John H. Casper and Mario Runco Jr.

S96-18552 (30 Oct. 1996) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox (left), STS-82 mission commander, chats with astronaut Scott J. Horowitz prior to an emergency bailout training session in JSC's systems integration facility. Wearing training versions of the partial pressure launch and entry escape suit, Bowersox and his crew simulated an emergency ejection, using the escape pole system on the mid deck, as well as other phases of their scheduled February mission.

Shuttle crew escape systems test is conducted by astronauts Steven R. Nagel (left) and Manley L. (Sonny) Carter in JSC One Gravity Mockup and Training Facilities Bldg 9A crew compartment trainer (CCT). Nagel and Carter are evaluating methods for crew escape during Space Shuttle controlled gliding flight. JSC test was done in advance of tests scheduled for facilities in California and Utah. Here, Carter serves as test subject evaluating egress positioning for the tractor rocket escape method - one of the two systems currently being closely studied by NASA.

Shuttle crew escape systems test is conducted by astronauts Steven R. Nagel (left) and Manley L. (Sonny) Carter in JSC One Gravity Mockup and Training Facilities Bldg 9A crew compartment trainer (CCT). Nagel and Carter are evaluating methods for crew escape during Space Shuttle controlled gliding flight. JSC test was done in advance of tests scheduled for facilities in California and Utah. Here, Carter serves as test subject evaluating egress positioning for the tractor rocket escape method - one of the two systems currently being closely studied by NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shutle astronauts being briefed on the emergency pad escape system are (left to right) Loren Shriver (with hat), Prime Crew Pilot Bob Criippen and Commander John Young. The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime astronaut crew members Bob Crippen (left) and John Young (right) prepare for briefings on the use of the emergency pad escape system, known as the 'slidewire.' Both the prime and backup crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment they will wear during a mission. The slidewire system provides a quick and sure escape from the upper pad platforms in case of a serious emergency.

S96-18547 (30 Oct. 1996) --- Astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, STS-82 mission commander, chats with a crewmate (out of frame) prior to an emergency bailout training session in JSC's systems integration facility. Wearing training versions of the partial pressure launch and entry escape suit, Bowersox and his crew simulated an emergency ejection, using the escape pole system on the middeck.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime crew astronauts Bob Crippen (left) and John Young (center) board the emergency pad escape system known as the 'slidewire.' The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training.

S96-18553 (30 Oct. 1996) --- Astronaut Scott J. Horowitz, pilot, gets help with his launch and entry suit prior to a training session in JSC's systems integration facility. Wearing training versions of the partial pressure launch and entry escape suit, Horowitz and his crewmates went on to simulate an emergency ejection, using the escape pole system on the mid deck, as well as other phases of their scheduled February mission.

S93-43856 (7 Ssept 1993) --- Navigating a one person life raft, Jay C. Buckey, M.D., participates in emergency bailout training in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Dr. Buckey has been assigned as an alternate payload specialist for the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) mission scheduled for next month. Nearby is a SCUBA-equipped diver who assisted in the training exercises.

S94-41838 (Nov 1994) --- Wearing training versions of the orange partial pressure suit used for shuttle ascent and entry, five NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut assemble for an STS-63 training session. The six are in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory. They are, left to right, astronauts James D. Wetherbee, mission commander; Eileen M. Collins, pilot; Bernard A. Harris Jr., payload commander; and C. Michael Foale, Janice E. Voss, and cosmonaut Vladimir G. Titov, all mission specialists.

S96-18557 (30 Oct. 1996) --- Astronauts Steven A. Hawley (left) and Gregory J. Harbaugh participate in a training session in JSC's systems integration facility. Wearing training versions of the partial pressure launch and entry escape suit, the two STS-82 mission specialists and their crewmates simulated an emergency ejection, using an escape pole on the mid deck, as well as other phases of their scheduled February mission.

S96-18556 (30 Oct. 1996) --- Astronauts Scott J. Horowitz (standing) and Kenneth D. Bowersox wind up suit donning for a training session in JSC's systems integration facility. Wearing training versions of the partial pressure launch and entry escape suit, the STS-82 pilot and mission commander joined their crewmates in simulating an emergency ejection, using an escape pole on the mid deck, as well as other phases of their scheduled February mission.

A Mercury capsule is mounted inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel for a test of its escape tower rockets at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. In October 1959 NASA’s Space Task Group allocated several Project Mercury assignments to Lewis. The Altitude Wind Tunnel was quickly modified so that its 51-foot diameter western leg could be used as a test chamber. The final round of tests in the Altitude Wind Tunnel sought to determine if the smoke plume from the capsule’s escape tower rockets would shroud or compromise the spacecraft. The escape tower, a 10-foot steel rig with three small rockets, was attached to the nose of the Mercury capsule. It could be used to jettison the astronaut and capsule to safety in the event of a launch vehicle malfunction on the pad or at any point prior to separation from the booster. Once actuated, the escape rockets would fire, and the capsule would be ejected away from the booster. After the capsule reached its apex of about 2,500 feet, the tower, heatshield, retropackage, and antenna would be ejected and a drogue parachute would be released. Flight tests of the escape system were performed at Wallops Island as part of the series of Little Joe launches. Although the escape rockets fired prematurely on Little Joe’s first attempt in August 1959, the January 1960 follow-up was successful.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the NASA News Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, components of the astronauts' launch and entry suit are on display for the media. Shuttle Crew Escape System Manager KC Chhipwadia described the individual pieces and their importance to the safety of the shuttle crews during their missions. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

JSC2000-05553 (3 August 2000) --- Astronaut Paul W. Richards, STS-102 mission specialist, during a session of egress training in the Johnson Space Center's Systems Integration Facility, uses a Sky-genie device to escape from a simulated shuttle in trouble. The full fuselage trainer (FFT) is a full scale mockup of a shuttle.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Fixed Service Structure on Launch Complex 39A, space shuttle prime and backup astronaut crews plus other astronauts and ground personnel are given training on the use of the emergency pad escape system known as the “slidewire”. The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wear the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags are used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank. STS-1 will be launched from Pad A at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 no earlier than March 1981.

Commercial Crew astronauts test out the Boeing/United Launch Alliance (ULA) emergency egress system on June 19, 2018, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The emergency egress system provides an escape route in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff on launch day. It will be in place when Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, launched aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket, carries astronauts to the International Space Station.

STS-34 crewmembers sit in M1-13 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) during emergency egress training at KSC's shuttle landing facility (SLF) prior to terminal countdown demonstration test (TCDT) activities. Wearing launch and entry suits (LESs), are (from left) Mission Specialist (MS) Ellen S. Baker, MS Shannon W. Lucid, Commander Donald E. Williams (right side, in back), MS Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, and Pilot Michael J. McCulley (holding headset). View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-89PC-871.

Cosmanaut Vladimir Titov, an alternate mission specialist for STS-60, simulates a parachute glide into water during a bailout training exercise at JSC. This phase of emergency egress training took place in JSC's Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF).

S89-45249 (13 Sept 1989) --- The astronaut crewmembers for NASA's STS-34 mission prepare to participate in emergency egress training in their partially pressurized flight suits with attached cooling packs at the Shuttle landing facility. Left to right are Astronauts Michael J. McCulley, pilot; Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Ellen S. Baker and Shannon W. Lucid, all mission specialists; and Donald E. Williams, mission commander. The five were at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) primarily to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to be launched October 12. Primary payload for the five-day mission is the spacecraft Galileo which will be deployed in space begin its journey to Jupiter.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, in front, and Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. During the escape verification, Walker and Behnken pass through the water deluge system on the 265-foot level of the crew access tower. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

S85-31933 (17 May 1985) --- Four members of the STS 51-G crew participate in a training exercise in the shuttle mission simulation and training facility at the Johnson Space Center. Steven R. Nagel, left foreground, is a mission specialist for the flight, while Sultan Salman Abdelazize Al-Saud (right foreground) is a payload specialist. In the background are astronauts Daniel C. Brandenstein (left) in the commander's station and John O. Creighton in the pilot's position. Photo credit: NASA/ Otis Imboden of National Geographic

Mission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid, STS 51-G, descends from the top of the crew compartment trainer in bldg 9A, the mockup and integration laboratory, during emergency egress training.

Astronauts Charles F. Bolden Jr. (left) and Kenneth S. Reightler, commander and pilot, respectively, for the STS-60 mission, rehearse some of their duties on the flight deck of the crew compartment trainer in JSC's Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory (50652); Astronaut N. Jan Davis, mission specialist for STS-60, gets assistance with her suit from Lockheed's Max Kandler during a training session at JSC's Shuttle mockup and integration laboratory. She is seated in the mission specialist station on the middeck mockup (50653).

S89-48009 (29 Oct. 1996) --- About to embark on his sixth shuttle flight, astronaut Story Musgrave receives assistance with his launch and entry suit during a training session in the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Shuttle Mockup and Integration Laboratory (SMIL).

Astronauts Charles F. Bolden Jr. (left) and Kenneth S. Reightler, commander and pilot, respectively, for the STS-60 mission, take a break during rehearsal for some of their flight duties near the crew compartment trainer in JSC's Shuttle mock-up and integration laboratory (50648); Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, mission specialist for STS-60, gets assistance with his launch and entry suit from Lockheed's Max Kandloer during a training session. Others pictured, left to right, are Astronauts Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, Ronald M. Sega and N. Jan Davis (50649); Astronaut Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot for STS-60, gets assistance with his launch and entry suit (LES) from Boeing's William Todd during a training session (50650).

jsc2011e003126 (01/11/2011)--- Training was performed at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to familiarize crew with emergency evacuation procedures from the shuttle system. Engineers at JSC (including Susana Tapia Harper & Alma Stephane Tapia) donned Advanced Crew Escape Space Suit System (ACES) suits while the astronaut crew practiced mock evacuations. NASA photo by Tom Murray

jsc2011e002655 (01/11/2011)--- Training was performed at the Johnson Space Center to familiarize crew with emergency evacuation procedures from the shuttle system. Engineers at JSC (including Susana Tapia Harper & Alma Stephane Tapia) donned Advanced Crew Escape Space Suit System (ACES) suits while the astronaut crew practiced mock evacuations. NASA photo by James Blair

jsc2011e002625 (01/11/2011)--- Training was performed at the Johnson Space Center to familiarize crew with emergency evacuation procedures from the shuttle system. Engineers at JSC (including Susana Tapia Harper & Alma Stephane Tapia) donned Advanced Crew Escape Space Suit System (ACES) suits while the astronaut crew practiced mock evacuations. NASA photo by James Blair

jsc2011e002624 (01/11/2011)--- Training was performed at the Johnson Space Center to familiarize crew with emergency evacuation procedures from the shuttle system. Engineers at JSC (including Susana Tapia Harper & Alma Stephane Tapia) donned Advanced Crew Escape Space Suit System (ACES) suits while the astronaut crew practiced mock evacuations. NASA photo by James Blair

Two mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPs, sit ready to receive astronauts and ground crews during a Boeing/United Launch Alliance emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. The emergency egress system will provide an escape route in the unlikely event of an emergency on the launch pad on launch day.

JSC2000-02929 (5 April 2000) --- Astronaut Richard A. Mastracchio (left), STS-106 mission specialist, receives some tips from David Pogue, a crew escape equipment trainer, during emergency egress training at the Johnson Space Center's Systems Integration Facility. Mastracchio will join four other NASA astronauts and two cosmonauts representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency for a visit to the International Space Station in late summer of this year.

An astronaut heads into a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP, during a Boeing/United Launch Alliance emergency egress system demonstration at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41 in Florida on June 19, 2018. NASA’s MRAPs offer a mobile bunker for astronauts and ground crews, should they need to escape from the launch pad quickly in an emergency.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. At tower level on the pad, Behnken practiced loading into a slidewire basket and simulating an emergency escape to ground level. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. From left, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. At tower level on the pad, Walker and Behnken practiced loading into slidewire baskets and simulating an emergency escape to ground level. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. NASA astronaut Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. At tower level on the pad, Behnken practiced loading into a slidewire basket and simulating an emergency escape to ground level. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. From left, NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. At tower level on the pad, Walker and Behnken practiced loading into a slidewire basket and simulating an emergency escape to ground level. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –The Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, formerly known as the Canister Rotation Facility, is being outfitted and prepared for use by NASA's Orion Program to process the Launch Abort System, a multi-story rocket that will be positioned atop an Orion capsule to provide an escape system for astronauts during countdown and launch into orbit. The structure, the industrial area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, served the Space Shuttle Program by standing the payload canister up so it could be taken to the launch pad and its contents transferred into the shuttle's cargo bay. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –The Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, formerly known as the Canister Rotation Facility, is being outfitted and prepared for use by NASA's Orion Program to process the Launch Abort System, a multi-story rocket that will be positioned atop an Orion capsule to provide an escape system for astronauts during countdown and launch into orbit. The structure, the industrial area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, served the Space Shuttle Program by standing the payload canister up so it could be taken to the launch pad and its contents transferred into the shuttle's cargo bay. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

NASA and Boeing personnel experience conditions during a water deluge test on the Crew Access Tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The test gathered data on how launch site and astronaut crews would exit in the event of an emergency from the white room at the end of the crew access arm to the emergency escape system on the pad. Boeing’s Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

JSC2001-E-06401 (27 February 2001) --- Astronaut James F. Reilly, mission specialist, rehearses emergency egress procedures in the Systems Integration Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The long tube at left is a training version of the launch escape pole which is now carried onboard for all shuttle flights. The STS-104 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) represents the Space Shuttle Atlantis' first flight using a new engine and is targeted for a liftoff no earlier than June 14, 2001.

NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance personnel run a water deluge test on the Crew Access Tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The test gathered data on how launch site and astronaut crews would exit in the event of an emergency from the white room at the end of the crew access arm to the emergency escape system on the pad. Boeing’s Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

JSC2000-05556 (3 August 2000) --- Astronaut James M. Kelly, STS-102 pilot, during a session of egress training in the Johnson Space Center's Systems Integration Facility, prepares to use a Sky-genie device to escape from a simulated shuttle in trouble. Crew trainer David Pogue (right) gives the pilot some tips on using the device.

JSC2000-02939 (5 April 2000) --- David Pogue (left), a crew escape equipment trainer, briefs astronaut Daniel C. Burbank on the usage of a special device that enables the mission specialist to rappel from a shuttle in trouble on the ground. A nearby crew-training mockup in the JSC's Systems Integration Facility allowed Burbank and his six crew mates the opportunity to train for procedures to follow in the event of the need to evacuate a distressed shuttle's cabin while on the ground.

S99-05615 (19 May 1999) --- Astronaut Gerhard P.J. Thiele, mission specialist representing the European Space Agency (ESA), slides off the shuttle escape pole onto a soft surface during emergency bailout training for the STS-99 crew members. A second STS-99 crew member awaits his turn. Looking on are technician David Borjas (second right) and videographer Charles Clendaniel (right). The training took place at the crew compartment trainer (CCT) in the Systems Integration Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

S93-31980 (April 1993) --- Attired in a training version of the Shuttle launch and entry garment, astronaut Nancy J. Sherlock participates in a bailout training session at the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) systems integration facility. Training as a mission specialist for the STS-57 mission, Sherlock was rehearsing using the slide pole escape device. EDITOR'S NOTE: Nancy J. Currie (formerly Sherlock) has been assigned as a mission specialist for the STS-70 mission, scheduled for launch in spring of 1995.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, in preparation for the agency’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon, begin installation of four emergency egress baskets at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape away from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, in preparation for the agency’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon, begin installation of four emergency egress baskets at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape away from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, in preparation for the agency’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon, begin installation of four emergency egress baskets at Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape away from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away.

Illustration of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket during the company’s uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This demonstration test of Crew Dragon’s launch escape capabilities is designed to provide valuable data toward NASA certifying SpaceX’s crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, left, and a SpaceX employee, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Glover will fly to the International Space Station on the second crewed flight of Crew Dragon.

NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance personnel begin a water deluge test on the Crew Access Tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The test gathered data on how launch site and astronaut crews would exit in the event of an emergency from the white room at the end of the crew access arm to the emergency escape system on the pad. Boeing’s Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

JSC2001-E-06422 (27 February 2001) --- Astronaut James F. Reilly, mission specialist, rehearses emergency egress procedures in the Systems Integration Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). The long tube at left is a training version of the launch escape pole which is now carried onboard for all shuttle flights. The STS-104 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) represents the Space Shuttle Atlantis' first flight using a new engine and is targeted for a liftoff no earlier than June 14, 2001.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, right, and a SpaceX employee, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Glover will fly to the International Space Station on the second crewed flight of Crew Dragon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime and backup astronaut crews are preparing to be briefed on the use of the emergency pad escape system, known as the “slidewire”. From left to right are backup astronauts Joe Engle and Richard Truly, and primary crew Commander John Young. Both the prime and backup crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment they will wear during a mission. The slidewire system provides a quick and sure escape from the upper pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank. STS-1 will be launched from Pad A at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 no earlier than March 1981.

Artemis II backup crew members, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons and NASA astronaut Andre Douglas participate in one of a series of integrated system verification and validation tests inside the emergency egress baskets at Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape away from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

In a lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers simulate conditions that astronauts in space suits would experience when the Orion spacecraft is vibrating during launch atop the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket on its way to deep space destinations on Jan. 19, 2017. A series of tests occurring this month at Johnson will help human factors engineers assess how well the crew can interact with the displays and controls they will use to monitor Orion’s systems and operate the spacecraft when necessary...Test subjects wore modified advanced crew escape suits that are being developed for astronauts in Orion, and sat in the latest design of the seat atop the crew impact attenuation system. This was the first time this key hardware was brought together to evaluate how launch vibrations may impact the astronaut’s ability to view the displays and controls.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston evaluate how crews inside a mockup of the Orion spacecraft interact with the rotational hand controller and cursor control device while inside their Modified Advanced Crew Escape spacesuits on March 24, 2016. The controllers are used to operate Orion’s displays and control system, which the crew will use to maneuver and interact with the spacecraft during missions to deep space destinations. The testing aims to provide data that teams need to make sure astronauts who ride to space in Orion can appropriately interact with the control system while in their suits.

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston evaluate how crews inside a mockup of the Orion spacecraft interact with the rotational hand controller and cursor control device while inside their Modified Advanced Crew Escape spacesuits on March 24, 2016. The controllers are used to operate Orion’s displays and control system, which the crew will use to maneuver and interact with the spacecraft during missions to deep space destinations. The testing aims to provide data that teams need to make sure astronauts who ride to space in Orion can appropriately interact with the control system while in their suits.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston evaluate how crews inside a mockup of the Orion spacecraft interact with the rotational hand controller and cursor control device while inside their Modified Advanced Crew Escape spacesuits on March 24, 2016. The controllers are used to operate Orion’s displays and control system, which the crew will use to maneuver and interact with the spacecraft during missions to deep space destinations. The testing aims to provide data that teams need to make sure astronauts who ride to space in Orion can appropriately interact with the control system while in their suits.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston evaluate how crews inside a mockup of the Orion spacecraft interact with the rotational hand controller and cursor control device while inside their Modified Advanced Crew Escape spacesuits on March 24, 2016. The controllers are used to operate Orion’s displays and control system, which the crew will use to maneuver and interact with the spacecraft during missions to deep space destinations. The testing aims to provide data that teams need to make sure astronauts who ride to space in Orion can appropriately interact with the control system while in their suits.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida practice the Artemis mission emergency escape or egress procedures during a series of integrated system verification and validation tests at Launch Pad 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Members of the closeout crew, pad rescue team, and the Exploration Ground Systems Program – who also suited up as astronauts – practiced the process of getting inside and out of the emergency egress baskets. While the crew and other personnel will ride the emergency egress baskets to the terminus area in a real emergency, no one rode the baskets for this test. Instead, teams tested the baskets during separate occasions by using water tanks filled to different levels to replicate simulate the weight of passengers.

STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, Spacelab Japan (SLJ) Commander Robert L. Gibson, wearing launch and entry suit (LES), holds sky genie equipment in proper position while listening to a training instructor's directions. Gibson along with the other STS-47 crewmembers is participating in post landing emergency egress procedures at JSC's Mockup and Integration Laboratory (MAIL) Bldg 9NE.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Behnken and Hurley will be the first astronauts to fly aboard Crew Dragon in SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken, seated at a console inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitors the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Behnken and NASA astronaut Doug Hurley will be the first people to fly aboard Crew Dragon in SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Behnken and Hurley will be the first astronauts to fly aboard Crew Dragon in SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.

Artemis II backup crew member, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jenni Gibbons, participates in the Artemis II emergency egress demonstration, which is one of the integrated system verification and validation tests taking place at Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. The baskets, similar to gondolas on ski lifts, are used in the case of a pad abort emergency to enable astronauts and other pad personnel a way to quickly escape away from the mobile launcher to the base of the pad and where waiting emergency transport vehicles will then drive them away.

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken, seated at consoles inside SpaceX Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, monitor the Crew Dragon spacecraft static fire engine tests taking place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 13, 2019. The tests will help validate the Crew Dragon’s launch escape system ahead of the upcoming in-flight abort demonstration as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Behnken and Hurley will be the first astronauts to fly aboard Crew Dragon in SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.

NASA and SpaceX conducted a formal verification of the company’s emergency escape system on Sept. 18, 2019, at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. NASA astronaut Bob Behnken participated in the exercise to verify the crew can safely and quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency before liftoff of SpaceX’s first crewed flight test, called Demo-2. As Boeing and SpaceX begin to make regular flights to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the agency will continue to advance its mission to go beyond low-Earth orbit and establish a human presence on the Moon with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Fixed Service Structure on Launch Complex 39A, space shuttle astronauts being briefed on the slidewire emergency pad escape system are (left to right) prime crew Pilot Bob Crippen, backup crew member Richard Truly, prime crew Commander John Young and backup crew member Joe Engle. The slidewire system provides a quick escape from upper launch pad platforms in case of a serious emergency. The flight crews wore the spacesuits and other equipment to be worn during a mission, but sandbags were used to duplicate the weight of riders in the slidewire baskets during the training. The STS-1 mission, known as a shuttle systems test flight, will seek to demonstrate safe launch into orbit and safe return of the orbiter and crew and verify the combined performance of the entire shuttle vehicle -- orbiter, solid rocket boosters and external tank. STS-1 will be launched from Pad A at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 no earlier than March 1981.