Extra-vehicular activity

Extra-Vehicular Activity, often abbreviated simply to EVA, is the term applied to external operations by specialist personnel in a vacuum environment outside of a spaceship.

Human Operation
Pressurized Suits are a necessity during EVA operations due to the vacuum of space. In addition, thruster packs are needed for maneuvering when not tethered to a spacecraft. Combat EVAs pose a significantly greater risk to those performing it, due to the chance of suit decompression in the vacuum if hit by bullets, shrapnel, etc. Civilian welders and technicians perform EVAs in order to repair ships, such as that performed upon the in the Eridanus System. The UNSC also employs specialized EVA Engineers on their warships such as the. Specialized zero-G vehicles are also used to perform EVA, such as the Open Frame 92/Extra-Vehicular Activity.

The Summa Deep Space Incident sparked multiple projects related to research of EVA equipment, including the MJOLNIR EVA variant, designed for better Extra-Vehicular Activity performance.

The Master Chief has performed four known combat EVAs: At the Battle of Chi Ceti in 2525, he inserted into a Covenant warship with Kelly-087 and Samuel-034, planted a missile warhead and extracted him and Kelly-087; At the Battle of Reach, in 2552, he performed another EVA in order to purge a ship's NAV database on an orbital station in accordance with the Cole Protocol. He performed another aboard the Ascendant Justice while in an anomalous slipspace dimension, the first known slipspace EVA and another at Earth, clearing hostiles off the outside of the Cairo Orbital Defense Platform and removing and repurposing a Covenant Bomb.

Covenant Operation
The Covenant also perform EVAs. Sangheili Rangers use specialized vacuum-sealed armor to protect themselves from the effects of a vacuum environment, in order to plant Antimatter Charges and support boarding parties. Kig-Yar Rangers in vacuum suits were also used, though their suits were more easily damaged than Elites due to the fact they lacked a personal Energy Shield.

Internal

 * Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/V variant
 * Assault Harness