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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

An engineering company is developing an automated system to help get spacewalking astronauts to safety [theverge.com]. Spacewalking astronauts at the International Space Station currently wear a Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue [wikipedia.org] (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 [draper.com], an engineering company with a long history of creating technologies for crewed spaceflight.

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