EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT

Emergency equipment is installed on a ship with the hope that it will never be used. If it is needed however, it usually will be the means of saving someone's life, so most spaceship designers do not scrimp when it comes to outfitting a ship with emergency equipment.

Spacesuits

Spacesuits are the most fundamental lifesaving devices, but since they are personal rather than ship equipment, they are explained in the section on Personal Space Equipment.

Escape Pods

Escape pods are small, one-passenger lifeboats that can be launched from a ship toward any nearby planet, space station or ship. The pod must be given a target when it is launched. This target cannot be changed after launch, because the pod has no steering controls; it is completely automated. Pods also carry automatic S.O.S. beacons that broadcast continuously in all directions. These beacons can be turned on or off by the passenger.

An escape pod has an effective range of 20 million kilometers. A pod travels 1 million kilometers every 10 hours. Its life support equipment will support one person for 11 days (220 hours). After that time, the passenger will suffocate.

A ship can carry a number of pods equal to its hull size. Escape pods cannot be mounted in fighters, but fighters can be modified so the entire cockpit is ejected. Each escape pod costs 30,000 Cr.

Lifeboats

A lifeboat is essentially a one-way shuttle. One lifeboat can be carried by a ship for every 5 points of the ship's hull size. An assault scout (HS = 3) cannot carry a lifeboat, while a frigate (HS = 5) or destroyer (HS = 6) can carry a single lifeboat. A battleship (HS = 20) can carry up to four lifeboats.

A lifeboat can carry up to 20 passengers for 30 hours, or 10 passengers for 60 hours. Unlike escape pods, a lifeboat can be steered toward any objective the pilot chooses. It will travel 60,000 km per hour with no acceleration, but it has unlimited maneuverability. If the lifeboat is not able to reach a planet, station or other ship within the time listed above, the passengers will die from lack of air. The lifeboat will continue to travel in a straight line from that point until something interrupts its course.

The cost of a lifeboat is 100,000 Cr. They are available at all types of spaceship construction centers.