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Escape
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Escape
If an astronaut
has a serious injury, he or she needs to get back to the Earth as soon
as possible.
In case of some life-threatening damage to the station (e.g. a serioous
fire), the whole crew member of the space station must evacuate.
A Soyuz capsule will always be docked at the ISS, capable of carrying
two to three people in emergencies. A crew will take a new Soyuz capsule
to the station every six months.
NASA is designing
and building a crew-return vehicle (CRV) called X-38, which weigh about
9,000 kg, for emergency use. The X-38 will be able to transport seven
people to the surface.
Like the space shuttle, when X-38 re-enters the atmosphere, it will be
protected from the heat by ceramic tiles. Once through the atmosphere,
the X-38 will glide towards its landing site, use its parachute to slow
down and steer, and touchdown on its skid.
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NASA
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NASA
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