Escape pod
An escape pod is a capsule or craft used to escape a vessel in an emergency, usually only big enough for one person. An escape ship is a larger, more complete craft also used for the same purpose. Escape pods are ubiquitous in science fiction, and infrequently used in real vehicles such as supersonic aircraft.
Non-fiction
- Because they were intended to fly too high or too fast for safe use of conventional ejection seats, the B-58 Hustler, XB-70 Valkyrie, General Dynamics F-111 and B-1A Lancer all used enclosed escape crew capsules of some kind.
- Although not designed or intended as one, Apollo 13 used the Lunar Module (LM) as a lifeboat when the service module suffered an explosion causing the command module to have to be shut down. The three man crew lived for an extended period in the two man LM and even used the LM's engine to realign the trajectory of the entire vehicle. The crew exited the LM "Lifeboat" shortly before re-entry, jettisoning it and using up the last power and O2 in the command module that they had saved by using the LM.
- The single Soviet "Mike" class submarine had an escape capsule, which was jettisoned upon its sinking in 1989. Some Soviet submarines like the Oscar class are rumoured to have escape capsules for the crew. (In the sinking of the Kursk the crew was unable to reach the capsule). However, the Typhoon class Ballistic Missile submarine is also rumoured to have escape pods located near or about the sail. Evidence for this can be found in a German Documentary on the Typhoon class submarine, Severstal.
See also