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A slide wire escape system has been undergoing tests at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in readiness for the first SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. The system could be used by astronauts and ground crews to evacuate the launch pad in an emergency and is based on the one fitted during the Space Shuttle era but has been relocated further up the tower. The ride in the slide wire’s basket from the 265-foot level of the launch pad tower takes approximately 20 seconds to reach a landing zone about 1,200 feet (366 meters) away. From there crews could escape the pad area in an armored vehicle or seek shelter in a bunker.

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Video: Spaceflight Now.