View source for Tether

{{Short description|Cord for anchoring a movable object}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Not to be confused with|Teether}}
A '''tether''' is a cord, fixture, or flexible attachment that characteristically anchors something movable to something fixed; it also may be used to connect two movable objects, such as an item being [[towing|towed]] by its tow.
Applications for tethers include: [[fall arrest system]]s, [[lanyards]], balloons, kites, [[airborne wind power|airborne wind-power systems]], [[anchor]]s, floating water power systems, towing, [[leash|animal constraint]], [[space tether|space walks]], [[power kite]]ing, and [[anti-theft]] devices.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first1=Seymour|editor-last1=Bosworth|editor-first2=M. E.|editor-last2=Kabay|title=Computer Security Handbook|year=2002|publisher=Wiley|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-471-41258-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JDXB8WTppk0C&q=tether&pg=RA2-PA20|page=19}}</ref>
==Failure==
[[Failure mode]]s for tethers are considered in their design.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bekey|first=Ivan|title=Advanced Space System Concepts and Technologies, 2010-2030+|year=2003|publisher=Aerospace Press; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics|location=El Segundo, Calif. : Reston, Va.|isbn=978-1-884989-12-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S4u1UgfxnHcC&q=tethers&pg=PA33|page=33}}</ref> A cord or rope tether may reach its [[breaking strength]] and fail. Outcomes can include an injury or fatal fall, and damage or loss of life to personnel or bystanders caused by  backlash of the ruptured segments.
Failure-prevention may be designed into a tethering system. Some [[safety harness]]es are used in combination with a [[shock absorber|shock-absorbing]] [[lanyard]], which has break-away stitching designed into it to prevent material failure and regulate [[deceleration]], thereby preventing a serious [[G-force]] injury to the user when the end of the rope is reached.
Designed-to-fail safety links are sometimes used to prevent excessive tension in a tether involved in towing objects, such as [[sailplane]]s.
A signal tether is a system in which a constant signal designates a positive condition, and its interruption, whether by discontinuation or jamming, conveys a failure. The signal may be electrically generated, or a physical device such as flying a flag.
==See also==
* [[Umbilical cable]]
* [[Safety lanyard]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{official website|https://techsander.com/what-is-a-tether-violation/|name=What is a Tether Violation?}} by TechSander.com
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[[Category:Hardware (mechanical)]]