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After spending four and a half months locked inside a living area of 700 square feet, the commander, pilot, and their four passengers have finally arrived to Mars.

However, there is a problem. The craft must hold enormous tanks of propellant and have its engines facing the surface of the planet in the landed configuration for Earth Return. An unconventional arrangement would significantly increase structure mass and pose many avoidable risks to the engineering program (especially due to the craft's small nuclear powerplant near the engines). The solution is simple: to egress to the surface, the crew clip in and ride a motorized cable down from atop the six-story tall propulsion system of propellant tanks, engines, and landing gear.

This is one of the first training assignments that crew and passengers go through in their training program. Mountain climbing is done secondly as part of the passenger evaluation and preparation process.

The passenger egress operation has 5 significant steps:
1. The Commander, Pilot, and a passenger exit through the airlock, leaving a trustee and two passengers inside.
2. The Commander assists the Pilot in surface egress, and then assists the passenger in surface egress.
3. The trustee and two remaining passengers egress the airlock.
4. The Commander assists the remaining crew in surface egress procedure.
5. The Commander preps the hatch for remote closing, and egresses to the surface on her/his own.

"Last one out, get the lights."

Upvotes at import: 38 | Stars at import: 27
Posted previously at: 2014-05-03T18:52:47 | Posted previously by: Cirrus Light