WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle prime crew Commander John Young and Pilot Bob Crippen watch as backup crew members Richard Truly and Joe Engle 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 baskeets during the training.