SpaceX simply examined a brand new astronaut journey — one which takes people all the way down to the bottom fairly than excessive above it.That journey is a deployable slide put in atop the tower at House Launch Complicated 40 (SLC-40), a pad at Florida’s Cape Canaveral House Drive Station. It is designed to get astronauts off the tower in a rush within the occasion of an emergency earlier than liftoff.We simply acquired to see the slide in motion, because of a video SpaceX posted on X on Tuesday (March 19). The 24-second video offers an astronaut’s-eye view of the slide expertise, which — although critical enterprise — would not be misplaced at an amusement park.”Despite the fact that it’s meant for use for emergencies, it appears like lots of enjoyable!” SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk stated by way of X on Tuesday, in a put up responding to the slide video.Associated: SpaceX to launch thirtieth cargo mission to the ISS for NASA this weekSpaceX exams its new emergency-escape astronaut slide at Pad 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral House Drive Station. It is a screenshot from a video SpaceX posted to X on March 19, 2024. (Picture credit score: SpaceX by way of X)The current slide take a look at is a part of SpaceX’s effort to certify SLC-40 for astronaut launches. SpaceX has launched 13 crewed missions so far, all of them from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy House Heart, which is subsequent door to Cape Canaveral House Drive Station.To evacuate from Pad 39A’s launch tower, astronauts soar into baskets that slide down wires to terra firma. The SLC-40 system is totally different, as the brand new video reveals: It is an enclosed chute that deploys from the highest of the tower when wanted, driving already-emplaced cables to the bottom.Breaking house information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!SpaceX has launched many (uncrewed) missions from SLC-40 through the years. And one other one will carry off on Thursday (March 21), if all goes based on plan.A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch a robotic Dragon cargo capsule towards the Worldwide House Station from the pad on Thursday at 4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 GMT). You may watch the motion right here on House.com when the time comes.