When it comes to space exploration, one of the most relevant sites is certainly the Launch Complex 39 of the Kennedy Space CenterFlorida: many of the rockets took off from here Saturn V headed towards the Moon during the Apollo space missions. However, what perhaps not everyone knows is about 12 meters deep under launch pads 39A and 39B there is a bunker system with walls entirely covered in rubber, friendly called “rubber room“. This is an emergency facility designed to house technical personnel in the event of an emergency during a takeoff.
In that case, in fact, the first thing it would have been necessary to get off the rocket was using a special device elevator and, once you reach the ground, open a special trap door. There would be a long slide there 61 meters which would lead inside this room whose walls are made up of rubber covered cushions whose goal was absorb any shock waves. To make everything even safer there was a thick steel door 15 centimetresreinforced concrete walls and a floor supported by soft to absorb any vibrations. The structure could withstand a pressure of 35 kg/cm2 and at accelerations up to 75 G.
Inside it was possible to find 20 fixed chairs equipped with seat belts, one toilet, fire blankets, water, supplies and filters to ensure the survival of the tenants for at least 24 hours. Once the emergency was over the staff could abandon the bunker thanks to a tunnel that would have emerged at 366 meters from the platform.
These rooms are actually not never been used if not during the emergency simulations, and the one below platform 39B was even closed for fear of possible health problems related to lead paint used. Over time, NASA patented other systems for evacuating personnel in the event of an emergency.
