Escape pod

One of the Tantive IV's escape pods

An escape pod (also known as a life pod or life boat) is the science fiction version of a modern life raft: a small vessel that allows crewmembers to evacuate a larger space ship or spaceborn facility in case of emergency. While escape pods come in many forms and sizes, they typically share the following characteristics:

• A life support system, rations, and medical supplies to sustain the passengers until help arrives
• A radio beacon or other communications system to send distress signals
• A propulsion system to allow the escape pod to escape a hazardous area or make planetfall (if the pod is capable of atmospheric re-entry)

Examples

• In Star Wars, R2-D2 and C-3PO escaped from the Tantive IV in one of it's escape pods.
• In Babylon 5, the cockpit of a Starfury fightercraft functions as an escape pod to allow the pilot to jettison in case of catastrophic damage.
• In Stargate SG-1, the Prometheus is equipped with escape pods.
• In Star Trek, virtually all capital ships are equipped with escape pods.
• A Russian Soyuz space capsule is docked with the International Space Station for use as an escape pod.
• In Mass Effect 2, most of the crew of the crippled Normandy SR-1 evacuated in escape pods.