The next generation spacecraft for the U.S. manned space program is called Orion. The Orion fleet will replace the Space Shuttles in 2015, after the Shuttle fleet (Atlantis, Endeavour, and Discovery) is retired in 2010. The launch pad for the Ares I rocket, which will power the Orion spacecraft to orbit, will be from Launch Complex 39B.

The new escape system, while is formally called the Emergency Egress System (EES) by NASA, is projected to quickly drive the astronauts away from the launch pad within 85 seconds of entering the tram cars. The rail system will start on the crew access level of the Mobile Launcher Tower (MLT) and exit at a distance that is a minimum of 1,200 feet (365 meters) at ground level west of the starting point.

Currently, astronauts train on escaping from the Shuttle launch pad with the use of open baskets that slide down a wire to a safety bunker. The new roller coaster design is considered faster than the existing open basket design when taking astronauts away from the pad in case of a possibility of fire, explosion, or other potential danger.

The new Orion launch pad, which is to be 370 feet (about 113 meters) in height, is scheduled to be completed in 2012, three years before the projected first launch of an Orion spacecraft. NASA made its initial announcement for suggestions of the new escape system through a Request For Proposals (RFP) for potential contractors of the system. The multi-million dollar system will use used by astronauts and launch workers in the event an escape is necessary from the immediate pad area.

A copy of the RFP (titled “DESIGN OF AN EMERGENCY EGRESS SYSTEM FOR THE CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39B”) is viewable at the NASA Internet Acquisition Service (NIAS) website.

Additional information on the developmental stage of the Orion spacecraft appears in the ITWire article “NASA begins drop tests with new Orion spaceship”.

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