The Nation - News from Feb. 17, 1988

NASA experts told the Senate Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on space that an emergency crew escape system can be installed in the space shuttle Discovery in time for the first post-Challenger mission this summer. An escape hatch that can be jettisoned with explosives has been installed in the Discovery, and NASA is trying to choose between two systems for getting the crew out if an emergency arises during level, controlled flight. One system would have crew members hook onto small rockets. The astronauts would be pulled by the rockets clear of the spacecraft, and they would parachute to the ocean. The second system involves a telescoping pole that would extend down and to the rear of the shuttle. Astronauts would attach themselves to rings on the pole, slide clear of the shuttle and then parachute.