A device for containing the catastrophic failure of a vacuum pumping system is described. The vacuum pumping system includes a turbo-molecular pump (TMP) configured to be coupled to a vacuum processing system at an inlet end. The TMP includes a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of the TMP and a first lateral axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The vacuum system also includes a containment device configured to mitigate the catastrophic failure of the TMP by impeding only one translational degree of freedom (DOF) and only one rotational DOF of the movement of the TMP. Impeding only one translational DOF includes impeding translational motion of the TMP in a first lateral direction substantially parallel to the first lateral axis. Impeding only one rotational DOF includes impeding rotation of the TMP about the longitudinal axis.