Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Stephan, E. S..
Emergency egress system allows people to be evacuated quickly from tall structures. New emergency system applicable to rescues from fires in tall hotels and other buildings. System consists of basket on slide wire. Basket descends by gravity on sloped slide wire staked to ground.
The slidewire emergency egress system is designed to provide a fast and safe egress means for the shuttle flight crew, passengers, and ground closeout crew in the event of imminent danger while the space vehicle is still on the launch pad. Egress is from the 195 ft. level of the fixed service structure (FSS) to a ground landing area 1200 ft. away from the launch site. The slidewire design is such that the flight crew and passengers can be evacuated to a safe area within two minutes with winds as high as 34 knots from any direction.