04/07/2026
It looks like many of you saw the Emergency Egress System leave the tower during the launch of Artemis II. I was the programmer for the EES’s controls and took part in the design of the system itself, so I can tell you exactly what it was.
Where the control system cabinets on the baskets were built to withstand sunny, humid Florida weather, a giant rocket launching next to them is a bit much. The decision was made early on that the baskets would be dispatched at launch, specifically to preserve the integrity of the baskets and their controls for future launches. The simple and truthful answer.
That said, with Artemis II is on its mission and refueling our love of space travel (and toilet humor), I’d love to share what I can of working on this incredible achievement. This will be a long one, so grab your astronaut ice cream for the ride.
For me, I grew up in the Space Shuttle era and I was absolutely into it. The thought of being an astronaut was a dream, and I often wondered what zero G truly felt like. At least I can say I got somewhat close to that when learning to dive but the thought of experiencing space travel still sits as an adventure I would jump at.
In 2021, I got a call from an unexpected source. A company named JP Donovan Construction contacted me with the possibility of working on a unique project. Given the nature of our work, unusual non-amusement industry calls do happen from time to time (and we also are more than happy to work on controls in any industry.) This one, however, involved one of the most unique and cool possibilities I’ve been presented with. Can we design and program a control system for an Emergency Egress System for the astronauts and tower crew on the launch platform if something goes wrong?
Absolutely!
Believe it or not, this was once brought up years before. The thought at that time was to use actual coaster track and have in essence a drop ride. While that idea was shelved, in its place came a basket rolling down a cable with magnetic braking used to control the speed and stopping point of the descent. For some of us, this would be an amazing 300+ foot drop ride that people would line up to ride. This was also why they looked to the amusement industry given our experience with rides, human safety, and magnetic braking.
Only a few months after this, we were brought on board and I found myself making a project folder called NASA. DID NOT see this one happening in my career. But wow, what an honor. After almost 30 years of working on safety critical systems throughout the world, I felt like I was being called up to the big leagues. In case of an emergency, the safe rescue of tower personnel and the astronauts themselves were being entrusted to me and the rest of the EES team. This team also included another industry company called Ride Centerline, which coaster fans will be familiar with. While they are usually roller coaster layout and structural designers, they handled the physics of the drop and the mechanical design on the braking system.
After years of scrutiny through various meetings and modifications to the original control system ideas, it was time to go to site. We thoroughly tested the basket systems starting in JP Donovan's shop as they did the actual basket construction. But then it was off to Cape Canaveral. After a stop to pick up my security badge, it was time to go in. First off, I'm not sure anyone realizes, but with all the space programs centered there, the area past security is huge (and yes, I did need directions my first time or two). The first thing you see once you are driving in is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This is where the rocket and capsule are all put together before being driven out to the launch pad by the crawler at a whopping 1 mph. I was able to see the Artemis II Space Launch System up close and personal inside the VAB and have a treasured picture from the experience.
Things got real, though, after about ten more minutes of driving. In front of me stood Launch Complex 39B, the launch pad that I saw many, many years ago as a kid watching the space shuttle launches. There really aren't words for me to describe this experience beyond simply just awe. During my time at the site, I took several trips up to the top of the Mobile Launcher including one in which we took the stairs. FYI, elevator for the win on that one. The rest of my time was spent at what we considered the landing pad for the baskets, right next to the safety bunker designated for the Space Shuttle personnel if they had to escape the tower in a similar circumstance.
The time on site stretched to several months as we tested every possibility we could come up with and finalized the design. But every day I found myself smiling on my drive into "work.” One day I was even lucky enough to be driving past the VAB while, straight ahead from me, a SpaceX rocket was taking off right at that moment! It was *insanely* cool, impossible for me to put into words!
I also loved the team I worked with. It is rare to find a site in which so many people are truly passionate about their work, Absolute professionals with endless enthusiasm. They just loved the fact that they worked in the space sector and their happiness about it was infectious.
I could keep going here but I imagine I've talked enough about me and not the system itself. While I can't go deep into details, the top-level design is there are 4 baskets, each able to hold multiple personnel. Once loaded, a person on the basket can release it from the top, by using a release handle in the basket. The initial drop looks intense. From there, the system tracks where the basket is at throughout the descent and adjusts speeds to match a descent speed profile. Everything is determined real time by a redundant control system on board, so basket weight, wind conditions, and anything else that would affect speed is considered.
Once the basket reaches the landing point, crew can drop down a ramp to exit the basket and enter armored vehicles designed for protection and the ability to get out of the area as fast as possible. NASA has released a great deal of videos and information on the EES for you to check out online, but you also now know from the source that the basket dispatch was planned and had an important purpose.
So for the big question: No, I did not ride it. While I was insisting being the programmer that I should be the first on it, the decision was made that there would be no riders unless it was truly necessary to use. It’s very odd given my job to create a ride that will never be ridden, especially when I’m part of the “test rider crew” on new attractions we work on. (Yes, it’s fun, but it is also an important part of testing before the public rides for a number of reasons!) But that's ok. We all hope it will never need to be used by people. They have my number if they ever want a passenger, though!
To have been a part of such a landmark event in space travel and for it to be considered a mission critical system will always stand as a highlight in my career. To know that, right now, the code I wrote is there and ready to be used if needed, blows my mind. I would also happily work with anyone from that project in a heartbeat or take on anything else they may need at NASA. This includes any control system needs in space itself. As said above, they have my number and I'm always up for an adventure.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have but understand that I am limited as to speaking about deeper technical sides of the project. So many of us watched the launch in amazement and it is an absolute inspiration for me and the world. Who out there would also be willing to go to space, too, if they got the call?
-Brian Ondrey, P.E.
Irvine Ondrey Engineering
