Halyard (aka Tether) for EVA [with 3 or more researchable stages]

[vasya pupkin]

You may call it "safety belt", "tether" or simply "rope", but here i'll refer to it as halyard.

OK. I read these:

Already Suggested List;

What not to suggest?;

official planned features list;

A list of all the default parts in KSP

- and searched the forum for safety belt, tether, halyard, and did not find a respective direct suggestion, so if any of them exist do whatever necessary.

So i went on EVA trip during suborbital flight and somehow have been immediately torn away from command pod. Turn on EVA suit and fly to your spacecraft, one may immediately say, but i'm a newbie and did not know about this feature and worse - it wont help because kerbal flown away too fast and too far. I immediately thought about any kind of tether to secure kerbals in space.

My suggestion is to add a halyard as attachable (clickable) part.

Desired functionality may be added as new option into context menu of respective modules (like "EVA on halyard") and as context menu of attached halyard-part.

I suggest that it might have 3 (or more) researchable stages:

1. Simple rope to attach a kerbonaut to module before exit because this is the point of safety precautions, and may have an ability to attach kerbonaut to halyard after exiting. The halyard may visually appear and be animated in any way while not affecting anything; as long its length isn't reached the kerbonaut flies EVA suit in regular way like it's free and nothing was attached.
   When length was reached, halyard will momentarily look and act like a strut (and if i understand this math behind it, spacecraft and kerbonaut should get respective momentary impulse like impacting wall-surface perpendicular to vector of halyard, or sort of... something...). Anyway, as an amateur programmer i say with limited responsibility that it shouldn't be much harder than implementing a strut, which is already present.
   If EVA suit ran out of fuel, kerbonaut will hang on this halyard until winded/collided into spacecraft, or approached a spacecraft during maneuver (same if spacecraft has unmanned command module or another approaching spacecraft) or torn away by excessive force (if spacecraft maneuvered too roughly or during collision with another object - what may damage some parts).
   
2. Same as 1, with clickable option to reel it back if EVA suit runs out of fuel. (Drum-like shape may visually be added.) Halyards of variable lengths may also be added.
   
3. Same as 2, with fuel and electricity flow what enable "infinite" (depend on spacecraft's fuel) EVA capability and maybe future handheld electric tools. (Straightening Mechanism - aka anti-tangle - may be implemented; making the halyard look like strut by tensing it back and of course through this resistance drawing some power from EVA suit thus lowering its performance.)
   

That's it.

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/235794main_GPN-2006-000025_full.jpg

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/images/content/182021main_Jennifer%20Astronauts%20training.jpg

P.S.:

Although halyard may be implemented (if at all) not as new attachable part, but as additional clickable function or item in context menu of respective modules, IMHO this way is less preferable 'cause it will have less functionality and fun.

Recently we have been seeing a lot of repetition in the suggestions forum, which makes it harder for original ideas to be noticed.

- If you think that this is a good idea, then Rate This Thread to make it notable. Edited May 11, 2014 by vasya pupkin
minor corrections & clarifications

[mrmcp1]

This is a brilliant idea that really needs to be implemented. It will help to make EVA's safer and in some respects more realistic. It could be made better by making it so that the rope could be attached to different points on the ship, for example if you are on a space station you could go some way along then you could attach the rope to another module just like real astronauts do. In the mean time if you want something similar you could always use Kerbal Attachment System. Once again this is a great idea.

[vasya pupkin]

It could be made better by making it so that the rope could be attached to different points on the ship ...

- let's say this idea in its own right deserves another researchable stage in tech tree.

Looks like (besides me) you're the only who think that this is a good idea, at least to the extent of stating it explicitly in this thread. Not to speak that this thread seem unlikely to become

have produced exceptionally fruitful discussions.

So you might consider using Rate This Thread tool as the only given alternative to inflating meaningless discussion just to get noticed (like my reply). Edited May 11, 2014 by vasya pupkin
additional clarifications

[Tw1]

Check out a mod called Kerbal Attachment System. Not the same, but you can use the cables for some similar things.

[r4pt0r]

i dont think this is a good idea, and here is why. the tether would be restricting. thats not a bad thing in itself, but the EVA packs in game are very OP when compared to what real astronauts use. so kerbals are less likely to not be able to make it back to the ship. the EVA packs have so much fuel you can literally use them to achieve orbit on certain bodies. while you described yourself as a newbie, i assure you that was a learning experience and now you know how EVA works.

The Halyard fixes a problem with human designs and adds safety.

Kerbals seem to have neither issue.

[KNSA Scientist]

i dont think this is a good idea, and here is why. the tether would be restricting. thats not a bad thing in itself, but the EVA packs in game are very OP when compared to what real astronauts use. so kerbals are less likely to not be able to make it back to the ship. the EVA packs have so much fuel you can literally use them to achieve orbit on certain bodies. while you described yourself as a newbie, i assure you that was a learning experience and now you know how EVA works.

The Halyard fixes a problem with human designs and adds safety.

Kerbals seem to have neither issue.

Well what he is saying is that the EVA pack should be part of the tech tree, such as getting better over time. That is what I think he is trying to say at least.

[mike9606]

An optional Halyard would be nice for several things, and an official one would mean we wouldn't have to wait for KAS to get updated or have to have a KAS winch on our ships. I would probably use it myself to tow kerbals that are stranded in space or just to give some unlucky kerbal the experience of being tethered tp the ship yet outside it during aero-braking.

[vasya pupkin]

Well what he is saying is that the EVA pack should be part of the tech tree, such as getting better over time. That is what I think he is trying to say at least.

- No, it is not what i tried to say. I literally meant new separate attachable part.

Although i never thought about EVA suit in upgradable direction, i think it is interesting idea too. Though imho EVA pack in tech tree might be much more complicated and less obvious than simple attachable "button" and raising more questions beyond the scope of halyard (like - "what besides suit and halyard a complete EVA pack should include?" or "how i attach it and to what?").

or just to give some unlucky kerbal the experience of being tethered to the ship yet outside it during aero-braking.

- That is exactly how i understand a definition of innovative ways of exploring Edited May 11, 2014 by vasya pupkin
minor corrections