SoylentNews

"Take Me Home" Button Developed for Astronaut Spacewalks

posted by martyb on Friday December 08 2017, @12:19AM   
from the mounted-adjacent-to-the-"Easy"-button dept.

takyon writes:

An engineering company is developing an automated system to help get spacewalking astronauts to safety. Spacewalking astronauts at the International Space Station currently wear a Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) jet backpack that must be manually controlled:

Getting stranded during a spacewalk is a terrifying scenario for any astronaut to imagine — but what if space station crew members could simply press a button during such an event and be immediately transported back to safety?

That's the idea behind new technology in development dubbed the "Take Me Home" button. It's a complex system of hardware and software that could be incorporated into a space suit and can automatically guide an astronaut home during an emergency in space. The concept is currently being developed with partial NASA funding at Draper, an engineering company with a long history of creating technologies for crewed spaceflight.

---

Original Submission

• They should really change the name. They should really change the name. (Score: 3, Funny) by Some call me Tim on Friday December 08 2017, @03:16AM (1 child)

  by Some call me Tim (5819) on Friday December 08 2017, @03:16AM (#607074)

  Astronaut: Suit, take me home!
  Suit: Are you sure?
  Astronaut: Yes I'm sure, hurry up!
  Suit: Calculating entry burn for return to Earth... Firing thrusters!
  Astronaut: Oh shit!

  --
  Questioning science is how you do science!

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+2
  Funny=2, Total=2
  Extra 'Funny' Modifier		0
  Total Score:		3

• Re:They should really change the name. (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 08 2017, @05:40AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 08 2017, @05:40AM (#607104)

  Kansas, "There's no place like home!" And the little dog, too.

  Parent