escape pod
{{short description|Capsule or craft used to evacuate base or vehicle in case of emergency}}
{{About|the safety capsule|the podcast|Escape Pod}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
File:B-58A Escape capsule.jpg]]
File:F-111C escape capsule.JPG F-111. This capsule saved the lives of two crew members when the aircraft crashed in October 1978. Australian War Memorial, 2007]]
An escape pod, escape capsule, life capsule, or lifepod is a capsule or craft, usually only big enough for one person, used to escape from a vessel in an emergency. An escape ship is a larger, more complete craft also used for the same purpose. Escape pods are ubiquitous in science fiction but are only used in a few real vehicles.
Real life
- Because they were intended to fly too high and fast for safe use of conventional ejection seats, the Bell X-2, B-58 Hustler, XB-70 Valkyrie, F-111 and B‑1A Lancer all used enclosed escape crew capsules of some kind.
- A similar concept OSCAR (Optimum Survival Containment and Recovery), was intended for the Vought F-8 Crusader.Naval Aviation News, July 1971[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1970/pdf/jul71.pdf navy.mil]
- The single submarine of the Soviet "Mike"-class, K-278 Komsomolets had an escape capsule, which was jettisoned upon its sinking in 1989. Other Soviet submarines like the Oscar-class are only rumored to have escape capsules. During the sinking of the Kursk, the crew was unable to reach it. Also the Typhoon-class is rumored to have escape pods located near or in the sail. Evidence for this can be found in a German documentary on the Typhoon-class submarine Severstal. The Shishumar class submarine has an IKL-designed integrated escape sphere. The sphere has accommodations for the entire crew with an eight-hour air supply.{{Cite web|url=http://www.military-today.com/navy/shishumar_class.htm|title=Shishumar Class - Patrol submarine|last=ARG|access-date=2009-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127053113if_/http://military-today.com/navy/shishumar_class.htm|archive-date=2009-01-27|url-status=usurped}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/navy/equipment/submarines/shishumar-class/|title=Shishumar Class}}
Fiction
Escape pods are frequently depicted as being used by large spacecraft in science fiction, for example the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars, the Axiom in WALL-E, and the vessels of Starfleet in Star Trek. The 1981 film Lifepod and the 1993 TV film of the same name both revolve around such vehicles.
See also
{{portal|Spaceflight|Transport}}
{{Commons category|Escape pod}}
{{Wiktionary|escape pod}}
- {{annotated link|Lifeboat (shipboard)|Lifeboat}}
- {{annotated link|Escape crew capsule}}
- {{annotated link|Launch escape system}}
- {{annotated link|Apollo abort modes}}
- {{annotated link|Space Shuttle abort modes}}
- {{annotated link|Orion abort modes}}
- {{annotated link|Soyuz abort modes}}
- {{annotated link|Escape Pod (podcast)|Escape Pod}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170144761A1/ Detachable Pilotable Capsules and Aircrafts
[sic] Including Detachable Pilotable Capsules]
Category:Aircraft emergency systems