Roscosmos Enhances Spacewalk Efficiency with Dual-Variable Tether System

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Veteran cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin have successfully validated a new safety tethering protocol designed to transform how spacewalkers navigate the exterior of the International Space Station. During intensive training sessions at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre’s hydrolaboratory, the crew simulated a variety of routine tasks and emergency "self-rescue" scenarios to put the hardware through its paces. 

The upgrade moves away from the traditional Russian EVA setup, which utilised one short, fixed tether and one variable-length tether, in favour of a more dynamic system featuring two variable-length tethers. This change provides cosmonauts with significantly greater mobility and a wider range of motion when traversing the Russian segment’s hull.

The dual-variable system has already moved beyond the experimental phase, having been flight-tested by Prokopyev and Petelin during two prior excursions into the vacuum of space. Those real-world applications, which involved complex manoeuvres like the relocation of a radiator and an experimental airlock, yielded overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the system's flexibility. 

By allowing both safety lines to extend and retract independently, the new protocol reduces the need for frequent re-clipping and minimises the risk of tethers becoming snagged on station hardware. Roscosmos officials noted that the latest round of neutral buoyancy training further confirms the system's effectiveness, marking a significant step forward in streamlining extravehicular activities for future missions.