T O P I C R E V I E W |
heng44 | The Apollo 7 astronauts walk through a "shower tunnel" at the base of Cape Kennedy's launch complex 34 during an emergency egress test in September 1968. Three M-113 armored personnel carriers are waiting out of frame to the right to transport them a safe distance away from the Saturn-1B launch vehicle. The crew also practiced riding part of the slidewire system at the pad, after which they posed for their famous photo with the gantry as backdrop. Ed Hengeveld |
East-Frisian | Like pop stars today. Out of the dark into the light. |
lunarrv15 | Enter with dirty white suit... come out white suit clean. The only human wash ...not your car. |
Steven Kaplan | As usual Ed, another great photo, and one I've never seen. There appears to be some sort of pack hanging around the neck in front of the crew's suits. Can any of our spacesuit experts provide some insight? |
lewarren | My guess would be supplemental O2, enough for them to egress the spacecraft and get to a safe zone (rubber room, bunker, M113). |
Ben | I didn't know they used the M113s back then. Do you have any photos of astronauts training in them from that era? |
Matt T | The official name for the chest mounted O2 supply is the Pad Emergency Air Pack (PEAP). "...a portable package designed to supply breathing air during emergency egress operations at the launch pad. The surface is contoured to accommodate the upper front part of the torso." |
heng44 | quote: Originally posted by Ben: I didn't know they used the M113s back then. Do you have any photos of astronauts training in them from that era?
Ben, I don't think I have any photos, but could make some screenshots of the TV footage I have of this Apollo 7 emergency escape training. You can see each of the astronauts entering an M113. Also, I believe on the Spacecraft Films set for Apollo 9 is some footage of the crew walking down the stairs of the launch tower and three M113s driving away at the base of the pad. |
heng44 | Found some photos after all, from even earlier: John Glenn, MA-6. Gus Grissom and John Young, Gemini-3 |
heng44 | Apollo 9 emergency egress training with the PEAP. |
divemaster | Ah! So THAT'S how they caught their colds so close to launch. Mom always said, never go outside with wet hair. |
heng44 | J.L. Pickering sent this Apollo 7 photo: |
MCroft04 | These M113's appear to be coated with some type of material that's not familiar to me(and I've seen quite a few M113's). Was this added by NASA for improved safety? |
Ben | Thanks for posting those. I also wondered about the material they are covered in. |
art540 | The M113 entered service in 1960 and I believe they were in use for the two manned Mercury-Redstones 1961. |
AstronautBrian | quote: Originally posted by MCroft04: These M113's appear to be coated with some type of material that's not familiar to me (and I've seen quite a few M113's). Was this added by NASA for improved safety?
I noticed that too. It reminds me of woolly mammoth fur. This is just a guess, but it could be fire resistant material, like asbestos. |
hlbjr | I was wondering if anyone has a diagram, photo, or other rendering of the slide wire arrangement at Pad 34 and a description of where it actually went? |
heng44 | Jim Ragusa is making the first ever manned run of the 360-meter slidewire escape system, that runs from the 65-meter level of the service structure at Pad 34. The system was designed by Chrysler. The test was on August 16, 1968. |
hlbjr | Ed, Thanks for the great photos. I see the slide wire headed off to the North/Northeast from the launch tower. |
heng44 | Joel Powell sent this USAF photo dated March 1968 of rescue crews at KSC practicing with the M113. |
tegwilym | Kind of reminds me of the fuzzy dog van in "Dumb and Dumber." |
Blackarrow | quote: Originally posted by AstronautBrian: ...it could be fire resistant material, like asbestos.
I hope not! 42 years is a fairly average latency period for mesothelioma. |
Philip | Why did they walk through a shower tunnel? Anti-bacterial decontamination? |
Delta7 | My guess would be fuel/chemical decontamination. Or a Wally Schirra "gotcha!" |