Extra-Vehicular Activity
An Extra Vehicular Activity or EVA is an activity outside the craft: Kerbals can leave the capsule.
To start an EVA, open the exterior (default) view of a manned spacecraft and then either left click on the capsule door or mouse over the images in the lower right corner and click the EVA button. To re-enter the capsule, approach the door and press F. The Kerbals can navigate outside their spacecraft by climbing ladders, walking, or using their personal RCS jetpacks, which have 600m/s of RCS fuel that is completely restored upon entering a command pod.
Uses
EVAs are useful for exploring the proximity of a craft; Kerbals on EVA can perform several useful actions by standing near certain objects. For example of these tasks consider:
- Repack a previously deployed parachute for another deployment (Right-click on parachute → Repack Chute).
- Fix broken rover wheels (Right-click on wheel → Repair Wheel). This of course only works as long as the wheel is not completely destroyed.
- Extend or retract solar panels (Right-click on panel → Extend Panel/Retract Panel), even panels on otherwise uncontrollable vessels, e.g. a probe that ran out of power.
- Plant a Extend-o-matic Series A1 Deployable Flag (commonly called flag) at their current position (Right-click on Kerbal → Plant Flag). This is only possible when the kerbal stands on the ground. Each kerbal is equipped with a single flag at the start of every EVA.
- Remove a previously planted flag (Right-click on flag → Remove Flag). The flag goes into their inventory and may be replanted at a new location.
- Read the plaque on a flag. While flags are listed in the Tracking Station and can be controlled and seen up close at any time, having a Kerbal in the vicinity is the only way to read the contents of their plaques.
- Board unoccupied command modules or EAS-1 External Command Seats on any nearby craft, not necessarily the one they launched on.
Controls
Ground
When a Kerbal on EVA is standing on a solid surface, the W, S, A, and D keys move him forward, backwards, left, or right respectively. Note that this is relative to the camera, not to the Kerbal himself- he will turn to move in the requested direction. Space will make him jump, and holding down Shift will allow him to run.
Space
When a kerbonaut loses his footing, jumps, or releases his grip on a vehicle in zero gravity, he enters freefall. The controls function somewhat differently in this situation.
Pressing R will activate the Kerbonaut's RCS jetpack. If he is in midair, he will attempt to automatically reorient himself to face in the same direction as the camera. The jetpack can also be activated while standing on the ground, and on bodies with sufficiently low gravity can launch Kerbals into the air for one-man VTOL flight.
When a Kerbonaut with an active jetpack is freefalling, W, S, A, and D still move him, but rather than face the direction of his travel he rotates to face away from the camera whenever a key is pressed. Shift and Control will move him up and down. Space will also rotate him to match the camera direction.
Ladders
Press F to grab onto nearby ladders or board command modules. While on a ladder, use W and S to climb up or down them. Pressing Space while on a ladder will release the kerbonaut's grip, causing him to fall or float away.
Finally, pressing L will toggle the spacesuit's lights.
Trivia
A Kerbal can survive re-entry from low orbit will die upon hitting the ground.
According to the Kerbal Knowledge Base, a Kerbal with an EVA suit masses 0.09 tonnes. Kerbals are however massless when in a command pod.
Kerbals can use their EVA suits to reach low Munar and Minmusian orbit.
Jetpacking is impossible in more than 3 m/s2 gravity, excluding Kerbin, Eve, Laythe, Tylo and Moho. The heaviest planet on which jetpacking is possible is Duna, although only with unidirectional thrust.
As of 0.22[outdated], EVA is the only way to transfer a Kerbal between cabins.
Gallery
Kerbal on jetpack
Disabled jetpack
Enabled jetpack
Working jetpack
Changes
- Overhauled the Kerbal Face Expression System with new animations, which are also visible on EVA.
- Fixed the EVA map icons not showing.
- Fixed EVA light orientations.
- Boarding a vessel from EVA no longer toggles the SAS on the vessel.
- 0.18.3 (Demo)
- Fixed EVA light orientations.
- Boarding a vessel from EVA no longer toggles the vessel's SAS state.
- The Q and E keys can now be used to control yaw with the EVA Jetpack
- Added a game setting to disable the automatic orientation when pressing any of the WSAD keys while jetpacking on EVA.
- Implemented dynamic walk cycle blending for EVA Kerbals under G levels between 0.17 and 1G
- Initial Release
- Added key and axis bindings for EVA controls. Reorganized the Input Settings screen a little.
- Added 1:1 EVA rotation axes. Using them disables the automatic orientation system.
- Added separate control bindings for walking and jetpacking on EVAs.
