Escape Pod

Escape Pod

Name	Escape Pod
Cost	1000 ₢
TL Availability	7

Overview

The Escape Pod is a lifeboat. Normally, it is fitted such that it completely encloses the flight deck of the ship on installation, so when the crew needs to get out of Dodge fast, they just hit the button - no inconvenient running around to the escape system when a mere second could mean the difference between life and death.

Unfortunately, survival is not guaranteed by an escape capsule. Assassins, for example, will see it detach from the stricken spacecraft and will destroy it. Pirates will probably try and pick it up in their fuel scoop and then sell the crew to slavers. Despite these risks, the tiny craft has saved countless lives since its introduction, and generally it is worth carrying one.

Typically, insurance can be purchased with the capsule so a replacement ship can be assured should an unfortunate crew need to bail out of their ship. This insurance almost never covers cargo. It does cover any improvements to the ship which were made prior to its loss (but see some of the oxp's below).

Escape capsules have also been used to jettison an inconvenient criminal record - it is trivially easy to fake one's death and make off in the capsule, as with the radio shut down, the pod is very difficult to detect. One can then restart under a new alias elsewhere, GalCop knowing that the old criminal is dead!

It should be mentioned that spacesuits and RemLock masks provide other alternatives to the Escape Capsule. They do not automatically come with insurance, though.

Statistics

The Escape pod has a size of 7x6x6 meters (WxHxL). Its small engines give it a maximum speed of 0.05 LM and allow for 0.5 roll and pitch maneuverability. There is only room for 1 energy bank and its recharge rate is rather poor at 2.0.

Usage

Press Escape twice on your astrogation console. The rest of the process is entirely automated.

OXPs

WEBS System download: The last line of defence when shields are down: airbags in the equipment bay. Gives an extra second to hit the escape pod. Looks surprisingly good in game. Wildeblood (2012)
Escape Pod As Standard: automatically awards one to your vessel, but reduces the insurance payout. By Redspear (2021)
Hard Eject reduces insurance cover so that only half of lost equipment is replaced (ie: shown as damaged on the F5 screen). By Stranger (2013-19)
Montanas Resource Pack 01‎ (2021) more variety - people in spacesuits/escape capsules/life boats etc

Escape Pod Locator OXP: originally developed by Another_Commander, then taken on by Capt. Murphy and then Thargoid (before 2011 - 2020)

Escape Pod Tweaks stops inexistent GalCop customs removing your captured Escape Pods at Rock Hermits, as well as listing them on your Ship's Manifest (F5F5) screen (Phkb 2009-19)
Escape Pod Slave Fix prevents scooped escape pods from only holding slaves (Phkb 2018).
Smugglers - The Galactic Underworld also impacts on the handling of escape pods/slaves (Phkb 2019)

GalCop Missions - includes missions to rescue distant escape pods (Phkb 2017-21)

Links

Life Support Systems (standard equipment)
Ichihara S-Pulse: page with details of the manufacturers of the Scream Pulse unit for RemLock survival masks.
human size in oolite (2011) - the second half of the thread is more relavant