One of the technical changes that was introduced to the shuttle fleet after the loss of Challenger was the In-Flight Crew Escape System. Its purpose was to give the crew a safe way to bail out if a safe landing site could not be reached.
At 60,000 feet the decision would be made, and the autopilot mode selected to control the vehicle down to 25,000 feet, slowing to 230 mph.
The escape pole was manually deployed after jettisoning the side hatch and moves the crew away from the vehicle's left wing.
The photo shows the system being tested on a C-141 Starlifter