Kennedy Space Center, FL - 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.