MEXICO: Earlier this month, SpaceX carried out a successful test of the Crew Dragon’s Launch Abort System (LAS), which would carry the capsule to safety in the event of an emergency. This is no doubt a great comfort to future space travelers, but what about the ground crew or if the astronauts aren’t inside the capsule when an emergency occurs? To help protect them and speed them away from danger, NASA is testing a 45,000 lb (20,412 kg) MRAP armored vehicle as an evacuation carrier for upcoming manned missions.
A rocket that’s about to explode is a terrifying thing. Since a rocket is basically a giant bomb, the best place to be in an emergency is nowhere near it, which is why launch control, even if it’s only someone with a battery and a couple of wires, is always located in a heavy bunker or as far away from the launch area as possible. For the ground crew, on the other hand, it’s a matter of running like hell for the nearest blockhouse, safety trench, or foxhole before the fireworks kick-in.
This was bad enough when the rockets being sent up were V2s and WAC Corporals, but the beginning of the US manned space program added a new twist. The rockets were getting bigger and bigger, and getting astronauts into their capsules meant having crowd crews on the gantry closer to launch time (and the fully fueled rocket) than was particularly comfortable.
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