I remembered reading about NASA having some M113s for something during launches. Was thinking it had something to do with their security forces. NASA's site said all the flight crews qualify to drive the M113s. It said they were used to evacuate in an emergency during the lauch countdown. Seems like it would take a long time to egress the shuttle and get down to them if they just have them parked below.

It's one of several options they can use to remove the astronauts if a problem comes up prior to launch.

What's the melting point of an M113 if said "problem" involves the uncontrolled ignition of rocket fuel?

Roughly how long would an M113 last if splashed by 500,000 gallons of burning rocket fuel?

(They're provided as a psychological boost)

That's bullshit that they have armored vehicles!  They're going to use them to oppress us and trample our rights!

Would they even make it off the shuttle if that happened?

Longer than a human body without any protection.




 

Well duh! Have you not been reading the oh so credible "SHTFmilita" info sites posted on ARFCOM? Them are UN blue's they are were'in!

The pantywaist's bitching like that popped into my mind when I saw the pics. It's so pathetic that its come to that level.

I believe they have rapid egress zip lines...they are oversized metal baskets where they can evac the shuttle module, run over to a "basket", literally dive in and punch a release button that sends the basket hurtling down and away from the launch tower probably to an area near those M113's or something similar.

Saw it on the history channel a few years ago.

Of course, man!  All Space Shuttle Doorgunners must first qualify on the M113 mounted variants employed across the Space Center.

There is a cable system that allows crew to slide from the launch tower to the site where the APCs are parked
 

No way...that's why they have the SSDG corps.

Looks like they get some cool toys.

Really cool pictures guys.

You'd think they would find something a touch faster than a M113 though.   It was my favorite vehicle to drive, but shit, the ones that I have driven couldn't break 40 MPH in a free fall.

Could be a slowly developing fire or something.

they have a fun switch on em too, but they get all uppity when you ask them about it  

they're for pre boarding escape, saw it on the history channel, there are  tunnels under the launch pad and secure "waiting rooms". after that, they clime into the 113's and drive away. presumably after whatever danger has mostly passed.

That astronaut lady sure does look bangable.

Those can't be 113's; they work.

Doesn't matter. Two reasons:



"Well, you see Congressman, in response to that press conference, grieving mother, and bill you put together we have put in this state of the art egress system that is failure safe at all points. Naturally we used a contractor that you back channel suggested at 3x the cost since they donated the max to you last election. Hopefully this will keep you off our back despite the fact that any major accident would kill everybody in an instant."



or



"Hopefully this will shut up that safety expert we hired. Christ that guy is annoying."



It's like the flotation devices on aircraft. Sure, they could save your life, and they've probably even saved somebody's in the past. But odds are they'll only be used to make you feel better and to mark the crash site.



ETA: Random note: IIRC NASA has the highest round count MP5 that is still going. HK had replaced a lot of stuff.

You noticed her too, eh?

So did the diaper wearing batshit crazy one.



Not that I would do her.



 

OH TEH NOEZ, THE MILITARIZATION OF NASA!!!



Next they will start wearing cargo pants!



 

They're already wearing desert MARPAT.

I've always wondered how much fun that one crazy bitch would of been in the sack.  Might of been fun to show her "the right stuff"  

I definately would NOT want to be riding an M113 away from a shuttle with a "problem".  Something about aluminum armor and the fact that 30mph would be a land speed record in this thing.

Oh fuck.  I vote someone else take up arms and go liberate our Florida brothers.

NASA has used M113 since Mercury as abort vehicles



LOL, even before my time at Cocoa (Uncle was in Launch Control) -  They may even be the same ones

I remember that on the news.

Does that one on the right have some sort of coating?

Shag carpet.

LOL - Shag carpet - made of asbestos.

This. NASA also has like a SR-71 and two Harriers in their air fleet.

Note it is distanced from the pad, and there is a concrete wall.....

No. I vote feel good measure.

Especially the space shuttle door-gunners.

I'd turn her inside out.



I'd hit it so hard, that if you pulled me out, you would become King of England.

More than you ever wanted to know.From here.

The two major events that the fire department has to train, equip and prepare for are shuttle launches and landings.

A launch requires use of approximately 2/3 of the department because they must prepare for rescue operations during the launch itself as well as the possibility that the shuttle may be forced to perform a Return to Landing Site (RLS).  If an emergency should occur within the first 70 seconds of flight it is possible for the shuttle to return to the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center.  Because of this, crews have to be pre-positioned at both the launch site and the landing site.

For the launch, a specially trained Pad Rescue Team made up of 15 members is staged 0.9 miles (1.4 kilometers) away from the launch.  This team is outfitted in reflective Nomex ARFF turnout gear and uses LAP units which are liquefied air breathing apparatus “and they were developed specifically for us at NASA,” according to George Hoggard, a captain with KSC/USFA Fire Department who is in charge of the pad rescue crews.

Because of the potential for exposure to significant fire or explosion, M113 armored personnel carriers are used to transport the rescuers to the launch pad.  These are surplus military vehicles that are solely for transporting personnel.  If an incident should occur, the entire efforts of the Pad team are focused on rescue, not on any fire suppression.

As launch time gets closer, the number of personnel on the launch pad is reduced.  Prior to launch, there is a closeout crew of seven people on the tower along with the seven astronauts.  If an event should occur prior to launch the NASA Test Director (NTD) who is located in the Launch Control Center (LCC) will immediately direct the Pad Rescue Team leader to initiate a rescue.
There are eight different rescue modes.  Modes 1 to 4 are for incidents at the pad while Modes 5, 6 and 7 involve an emergency with the shuttle once it has cleared the tower and is still within the response capabilities of emergency forces at KSC.  For 70 seconds after launch it is still possible to abort the flight and land back at the landing site at KSC.  Mode 8 is an over water rescue which involves the astronauts bailing out of the shuttle and the Department of Defense is responsible for conducting rescue operations under this scenario.

There are also several emergency landing sites located around the globe for the shuttle to use.  These include Morocco and two in Spain.  Whether the shuttle would return to Kennedy or use one of the overseas landing sites would depend upon the nature of the emergency and whether it occurred during launch, orbit or re-entry.

When the Pad Rescue Team Leader receives notification from the Launch Control Center of an emergency during launch, both M113s race up the road to the pad.  One M113, with its crew of 8 people turns and heads towards the base of the basket rescue lines.  Seven members of the other M113 immediately head to the high-speed elevator that will take them up to the 195-foot level of the tower.  As soon as they reach this level, the team leader notifies the driver of the M113 who then heads to the base of the basket rescue lines.

On the 195 level two team members are detailed to conduct an area search and determine if there is anyone on the tower or on the level below.  The other team members remove the rescue equipment located in a locker adjacent to the swing arm and head towards the shuttle orbiter.

In a worst-case scenario where all of the astronauts have been incapacitated it will be necessary for the rescue crews to remove them from the shuttle and transport them to the slide baskets.  To accomplish this they use stair chairs that are located in the rescue equipment locker on the 195 level.  One at a time, the seven astronauts are removed from the orbiter, placed in a stair chair and transferred to the basket.  A rescuer climbs into the basket and the unconscious astronaut is then slid into the basket, supported by the rescuer.  As soon as a second rescuer is placed in the basket, the release mechanism is tripped.  The basket then races down a 1,200-foot (366 meter) wire cable at 55 miles (89 kilometers) per hour to an arresting system, a ride that takes about 35 seconds.  The second rescue team then removes the victims from the basket and transfers them to an adjacent bunker.  This continues until all of the victims have been removed from the shuttle orbiter.  The last person off of the tower is the Pad Rescue Team Leader.

The maximum number of people that could conceivably need to be removed from the tower prior to a launch is 21.  This would include the seven astronauts, a closeout crew of seven people and the seven rescuers.  All of the astronauts are trained in how to operate the basket rescue system in the event that they are able to extricate themselves prior to the arrival of the fire department.
At the base of the basket rescue system is a hardened bunker that provides a safe haven for the astronauts and rescuers.  Prior to entering the bunker the rescue team will use meters to determine if the astronauts have been contaminated with any hazardous materials and if so they are immediately decontaminated with a drench shower outside of the bunker.

Inside of the bunker are a series of airline connections for the astronauts, who are still wearing their flight suits, to plug into.  The crews can communicate directly with the LCC through either telephones or the astronauts can plug into a hardwired communication line.

If any of the astronauts are injured they can be transported by ground ambulance to a medical facility or by helicopter.  A series of helicopter landing sites have been preidentified and either NASA or the Air Force will land a helicopter to transfer the victim to one of three area medical facilities.

Open small image. 240(w) x 360(h) at 72 DPI.If the shuttle should launch, but then come down in the water in the immediate area of KSC, the rescue becomes the responsibility of the SAR team that is pre-positioned at the rescue helicopters near the landing facility.  The SAR team switches modes from a land rescue to a water rescue, climb on board the pre-positioned helicopter and then fly to the crash site.

If the orbiter has landed right side up in the water, lines are shot over the top of the orbiter and a Jacob’s ladder is pulled up from the water, allowing the rescuers to access a hatch at the top of the orbiter.  The crew is then removed from the shuttle, the life vests on their parachute harnesses are inflated and they are placed in the water to be lifted into the rescue helicopters.

Because it is possible for the shuttle to conduct a RLS (return to landing site), another crew is standing by at the shuttle landing facility during launch.  This crew is staffing a number of conventional ARFF and structural fire fighting vehicles.

During a normal shuttle landing, these same crews are standing by on the 15,000-foot (4,572 meter) runway, which is twice the length and width of many runways at commercial airports.  Some of the crews are positioned in a nearby fire department substation with the air conditioning set low to ensure that the fire fighters core temperature is low in the event that they are called into action.

"We don't need saving!"

Wow, that's actually pretty well thought out. Sadly, if that thing malfunctions I think it'd go boom way too fast for anyone to react.

"Arresting system"....that's funny!
It's a large cargo net system strung up between short telephone poles and the nets will drag a large chain when they tear off of the poles!
Ever see "The Dream is Alive"? They show the astronauts getting in the baskets and hitting the release lever...except the baskets are tethered...only go a few inches... then they cut to an onboard camera shot...no human ever tested the ride when I was there...not sure anyone has ever ridden the basket down to the nets. If you could still walk after the stop, you'd climb into one of the bunkers and wait (and pray!)