Latest By
Category:


Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work

"I went [to the top of] Vehicle Assembly Building and looked down, and tears burst from my eyes. The size of this cathedral where the Rockets take off to go to the moon is so amazing."
- Ray Bradbury

Emergency Lifeboat  
  A small craft used as a bail-out vehicle from a large space station or spacecraft.  

Then, each grasping Clio by an arm, the two officers shoved mightily with their feet, and the three armored forms darted away toward their only hope of escape - an emergency lifeboat that could be launched through the shell of the great globe. To attempt to reach the Hyperion and to escape in one of her lifeboats would have been useless; they could not have forced the great gates of the main airlocks and no other exits existed.
From Triplanetary, by E.E. 'Doc' Smith.
Published by Not known in 1934
Additional resources -

There are other, earlier references in sf to a "lifeship" that serves this same purpose. In 1946, John MacDougal wrote about it in "Chaos, Coordinated"; there is an even earlier mention in 1940, from Harry Walton's "Moon of Exile".

Take a look at Larry Niven's crash web to protect yourself from deceleration trauma. And don't forget the Star Wars escape pod.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Triplanetary
  More Ideas and Technology by E.E. 'Doc' Smith
  Tech news articles related to Triplanetary
  Tech news articles related to works by E.E. 'Doc' Smith

Articles related to Space Tech
Finding A Habitable Planet
NASA's Reconfigurable Space Suit
WeCU Mind-Reading Scanners For Airports
'Space Diver' To Leap From 121K Feet

Want to Contribute an Item? It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add it here.

<Previous
Next>

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

 

 

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

More News

Put MercuryHouseOne Anywhere
Perhaps looking out through the spray of Victoria Falls.

Computational Wood: Grow Circuits In Living Trees
Just tap into the information tree.

SIRI Virtual Assistant Like Pohl's Joymaker
Man Forrester! Your joymaker is ready.

Liquid Glass Universal Spray-On Protectant
Also used to protect galactic way stations.

WIND Wearable Robot Controller
Robot wirelessly sense, robot do.

Gesture Cube Touch-Free Input
Just think of the gestures you'll use!

IMPASS Robot 'Smart Wheel' Video
I love it when good robot research comes together.

Predator, Prey Robots Evolve
Humanity must make a choice about robot evolution.

Mind-Control Lights At Vancouver Olympics
Bringing The Game to the Olympic Games.

PALRO Companion Robot
Who's your favorite companion robot?

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.