{{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|thumb|The escape capsule of a Convair B-58 Hustler]] [[File:F-111C escape capsule.JPG|thumb|right|The escape capsule of a Royal Australian Air Force 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 Aardvark 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.<ref>Naval Aviation News, July 1971</ref><ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1970/pdf/jul71.pdf navy.mil]</ref> * 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.<ref>{{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/20231109200750/http://www.military-today.com/navy/shishumar_class.htm|archive-date=November 9, 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/navy/equipment/submarines/shishumar-class/|title=Shishumar Class}}</ref>
==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}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170144761A1/ Detachable Pilotable Capsules and Aircrafts <nowiki>[sic]</nowiki> Including Detachable Pilotable Capsules]
Category:Aircraft emergency systems Category:Fictional spacecraft by type Category:Rescue equipment