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The spacesuit in the Passengers movie that are used to move outside the ship are attached to the hull with magnetic soles and only a single safety rope.

Shouldn't they have a maneuvering unit (like MMU) installed in case the rope breaks?

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    and what if the MMU breaks as well? A safety rope is much less fragile than a rocket backpack, it's also less bulky, cheaper, and easier to store. I'd therefore rather suggest using 2 safety ropes.
    – jwenting
    Jan 2, 2017 at 12:19
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    I haven't seen the movie yet, but if the passengers are just that - passengers - they aren't trained astronauts and are unaware of safety procedures.
    – Joe L.
    Jan 2, 2017 at 14:33
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    @Valorum No they are not. The suits are an amenity on the ship for passengers to have the opportunity to see what it is like to be in space. Presumably the crew have access to more functional suits but the movie makes it clear that is not what the suits they used in the film were.
    – kaine
    Jan 9, 2017 at 15:53
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    @Valorum idk about the script but in the film they have an audio recording welcoming and thanking the guy for visiting the experience. I only saw the film once so I could be misremembering it. That was definitely my understanding. He was very drunk when he found it and likely could not have broken into a crew only thing in that state. This could/should be a new question.
    – kaine
    Jan 9, 2017 at 16:03
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    @Kaine - I stand humbly corrected. I was mis-remembering. The EVA room (and suits) are indeed for passenger use. There's even a perfectly good reason why there's no need for an MMU. Voting to reopen.
    – Valorum
    Jan 9, 2017 at 16:15

1 Answer 1

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The important thing to note here is that like all of the other passenger amenities on board the Avalon, the spacesuits and 'EVA experience' are little more than a fairground ride.

Computer Voice: We hope you decide to join us again... for another thrilling experience!

We already know from the attempts to break into the crew quarters that our futuristic ship has meta-materials that are essentially unbreakable and we see when Jim leaves the ship that the tether snakes out of the wall and automatically attaches itself to him, giving him the illusion of control while the ship still retains 100% safety.


In short, the EVA is an experience that's intended for someone with zero space-flight knowledge. Providing the passenger with an MMU would simply give them the ability to kill themselves with their first uncontrolled flight into a bulkhead.

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  • I think you re right. I did not consider the possibility that those suits might be for passengers only. If that's the case it is perfectly understandable why there weren't any MMU like devices. Jan 10, 2017 at 17:38
  • @MichalKurek - In the original script it was made clear that they were for crew use only but that Jim didn't really know how to use them. That would also explain the lack of a thruster unit.
    – Valorum
    Jan 10, 2017 at 18:17

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