The seven slidewire baskets have traveled down the wires to the ground after technicians released for the final time.

At Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the seven slidewire baskets have traveled down the wires to the ground after technicians released them from the 195-foot level for the final time. The baskets will be removed and put in storage.

The system of seven slidewire baskets at launch pads A and B provided an escape route for personnel inside the orbiter or on the orbiter access arm. The baskets are suspended from slidewires that extend from the pad’s Fixed Service Structure to a landing zone 1,200 feet to the west. Each basket could hold up to three people. A braking system catch net and drag chain slowed and then halted the baskets sliding down the wire approximately 55 miles per hour in about half a minute. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin