> they do not know if a launch escape system would save astronauts in that situation.
1. In the video of the Amos 6 explosion[2], you see the payload fairing falling to the ground, with the satellite inside. You see it happened slowly, the payload did not explore, it burned down after falling. The abort system would have saved the crew in that situation. We were also told[3] the Dragon 1 would have been just fine if it was programmed to open its chutes after the second stage disintegrated under it during ascent on CRS-7. NASA participated in analyzing both failures, they know this.
2. SpaceX have done a pad abort test in 2015[1] that demonstrated the capsule reacting to "something bad happened to the rocket" on the launch pad and saving a test dummy's life.
1. In the video of the Amos 6 explosion[2], you see the payload fairing falling to the ground, with the satellite inside. You see it happened slowly, the payload did not explore, it burned down after falling. The abort system would have saved the crew in that situation. We were also told[3] the Dragon 1 would have been just fine if it was programmed to open its chutes after the second stage disintegrated under it during ascent on CRS-7. NASA participated in analyzing both failures, they know this.
2. SpaceX have done a pad abort test in 2015[1] that demonstrated the capsule reacting to "something bad happened to the rocket" on the launch pad and saving a test dummy's life.
1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_2#Pad_abort_test
2 - https://youtu.be/_BgJEXQkjNQ?t=79
3 - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/07/saving-spaceship-dra...