deej@nvuxr.UUCP (David Lewis) (09/20/89)
In article <21679@sequent.UUCP>, cliffw@sequent.UUCP (Cliff White) writes: > In article <31816@ames.arc.nasa.gov> yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) writes: > > Later > > today the crew members will practice driving in the M113 tracked > > vehicles at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Commander Don Williams > Please pardon a (possibly) stupid question-but why is the crew practicing > tank driving? How does this relate to space work? (Nitpicking -- the M113 is an Armored Personnel Carrier, not a tank...) Anyway. The M113 is part of the emergency crew escape system at KSC. In the event of a pad emergency where the crew needs to get out of the shuttle (while still on the ground, that is) and away from the pad in a hurry, they ride a basket down a cable to the ground, bail out of that, pile into the M113, and drive like hell away from the pad. I guess if you're going to be in the vicinity of a large amount of exploding rocket fuel, an armored personnel carrier is a decent kind of thing to be in... although personally I might go for exit speed and have three or four Ferarri Testarossas there myself... -- David G Lewis ...!bellcore!nvuxr!deej "If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower."
Mike.Pompura@f49.n363.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Mike Pompura) (10/04/89)
Also note that the reason why the astronauts are required to operate these tracked vehicles is simple logic. WHY have an extra human being in the vicinity of the launch pad, and risk his life just to drive the thing, when an astronaut <who flicks switches on a billion $$ craft> could do the same thing. -- Fidonet: Mike Pompura via 1:363/9 Internet: Mike.Pompura@f49.n363.z1.FIDONET.ORG UUCP: uunet!sceard!tarpit!libcmp!mamab!49!Mike.Pompura