Endeavour crew makes great escape

Endeavour's astronauts ran through a practice countdown for their planned March 11 launch today, capping the traditional training exercise with an escape drill at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A.

Clad in bright orange partial-pressure launch-and-entry suits and wearing helmets, the astronauts exited the side hatch of Endeavour and crossed the orbiter access arm, moving quickly toward the northwest side of the 195-foot level of the launch tower.














The hurry-up came after a simulated main engine shutdown and launch pad abort as countdown clocks hit T-Minus four seconds. It mimicked what an astronaut crew would do in the event of a fire, explosion, hazardous gas leak or other emergency at the launch pad.

NASA's twin shuttle launch pads each are equipped with a so-called slidewire basket system that comprise seven baskets, each of which is capable of carrying four people off the tower.













In a real emergency, the baskets would zip down a 1,200-foot slidewire to the bunker area near the perimeter of the launch complex. Top speed: 55 mph.

Arresting nets and drag chains would bring the baskets to a stop in the bunker area.

No one rode down the slidewires during the drill. NASA safety officials deemed that an unnecessary risk.

Back down on the ground, though, is a concrete bunker equipped with emergency medical gear, and a shower to spray off any toxic rocket fuel or other hazardous substance. Parked there is a yellow M113 armored personnel carrier.

This photo shows rescue personnel helping astronauts into an M113 during a post-Columbia disaster drill:














The astronauts all are trained to drive the tank-like vehicle -- to crash through the perimeters fence at the complex so they can motor to a nearby heliport.

Dubbed the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, the practice countdown and the emergency egress drill represents the last major training exercise for the astronauts at KSC. They'll head back to Houston later today and then return March 7 for the start of the real countdown to launch.

Endeavour is scheduled to blast off at 2:31 a.m. EST March 11, heading for a rendezvous and docking at the International Space Station two days later. The astronauts plan five spacewalks during a mission aimed at delivering the first section of the Japanese Kibo science research facility to the station.

The spaceship and its crew must be off the ground by March 23 in order to complete the mission and depart the station before the early April launch of the Expedition 17 crew to the outpost.

You can check out the launch windows for STS-123 in the following document. All times are central so add an hour for local time:

STS-123 Launch Windows