Fandom>Androgeos Exeunt: Moved the "Surviving a breached canopy" section into a subsection under "Cracking and breaching", and since almost everything is now under one section, renamed the containing "Audio and visual effects" section to just "Effects".

2026-10-18T09:30:18Z

Moved the "Surviving a breached canopy" section into a subsection under "Cracking and breaching", and since almost everything is now under one section, renamed the containing "Audio and visual effects" section to just "Effects".

New page

[[File:CobraV_Canopy.png|thumb|right|384px|The canopy of a [[Cobra Mk V]], reflecting illumination from a landing pad's spotlight.]]
The '''ship canopy''' is the transparent, tinted enclosure over the [[ship]]'s cockpit. It protects the [[pilot]] and cockpit from radiation and other hazards.

== HUD ==
Much of the upper [[HUD]] is displayed or projected on the canopy. This includes the active weapon group, currently selected target and information, [[supercruise]] orbit lines and object markers, and weapon targeting reticles. Alerts (i.e. heat warnings, incoming missiles, etc.) are also shown on the canopy.

== Size ==
The size and viewing arc of the canopy depends on the model of ship. A bigger canopy gives better all-round vision which is useful for [[combat]] and sightseeing, but also increases the likelihood of it taking damage. This is especially the case when fighting enemies armed with explosive weapons such as [[Missile Rack]]s, as the area effect means that even glancing hits can very easily damage or outright breach a ship's canopy.

[[Module Reinforcement Package]]s can reduce incoming canopy damage, but some ships have more vulnerable canopies due to their size in relation to the rest of the ship, the ship's layout, or even just the kind of combat style enforced by the ship's flight characteristics. Ships notorious for having a canopy that is easily breached, even during light combat, include the [[Asp Explorer]] and [[Vulture]]—both ships have large, bubble canopies located near the center of mass, thus making easy targets.

== Effects ==
=== Sound ===
Sound requires solids, liquids, or gases to travel through. Since space is a vacuum, there is no matter through which sound can travel. The speaker array inside the cockpit of a [[ship]] simulates all audio activity outside the ship in real-time, thus creating the illusion that the pilot can hear sounds in space. When the canopy is breached and the ship's atmosphere is vented, sound no longer has any air to travel through, rendering the speakers useless. At this point, the pilot can only hear their own breathing, as well as muffled [[COVAS]] alerts, until they repair their canopy.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/node/274 Matthew Florianz, Senior Sound Designer on Elite Dangerous]</ref>

=== Cracking and breaching ===
[[File:Anaconda-Broken-Canopy.png|thumb|256px|A broken canopy on an [[Anaconda]]. Note the tint from the canopy section that has not been vented into space.]]
The canopy can be damaged by trauma from impacts, hull stress (e.g. an emergency FSD drop), severe gravitational hazards, and weapons fire. Sufficient damage to the canopy will result in visible and audible cracking. This will worsen as more damage is taken, until the canopy is breached, whereupon it shatters dramatically. In the most extreme cases, such as a high-speed asteroid collision or [[wikipedia:Controlled flight into terrain|CFIT]], it is possible for an otherwise intact ship canopy to be instantly breached upon impact.

When the ship's canopy shatters, the ship's internal atmosphere will be vented into space, a Remlok Survival Mask instantly deploys from the pilot's suit to protect the wearer against oxygen depletion and the vacuum of space, and any HUD information that was previously projected onto the parts of the canopy that have shattered may no longer be viewable unless they are projected onto a canopy fragment. The HUD itself is still functioning, however—gimballed weapons will still track targets and missiles will still lock on normally.

While the breaching of the ship's canopy is not dangerous in itself, the loss of HUD projection and activation of the ship's [[Life Support]] module makes most space-borne activities much more difficult—escape vectors and target indicators may not be visible, making it challenging for the pilot to continue combat, especially with fixed weapons, and judge whether there is enough time to get to a chosen repair destination or even if the ship is close enough to the destination to safely drop out of supercruise. Complete depletion of the ship's emergency oxygen supply from the Life Support module will also result in the destruction of the ship.

==== Surviving a breached canopy ====
If the pilot is not able to reach a station before their Life Support module's emergency oxygen runs out, their ship will self-destruct and they will be forced to [[Redeployment|redeploy]]. The ship's Life Support module's rating determines the maximum duration of emergency oxygen available, ranging from 5 minutes (for an E-rated module) to 25 minutes (for an A-rated module). Oxygen supply can also be refilled via [[Synthesis]], which requires 2 [[Iron]] and 1 [[Nickel]] per refill. Pilots with large stockpiles of both [[Materials]] can thus replenish their Life Support module repeatedly and potentially continue traveling with a broken canopy for extended periods. Synthesis requires a brief activation period before the refill takes effect, however, and it is not possible to "overfill" beyond the Life Support module's oxygen duration by repeating the refill process in quick succession. Generally, it is recommended for pilots with breached ship canopies to immediately divert to the nearest station with suitable landing pads and repair facilities.

Passing through the force field in a [[Starport]]'s [[Access Corridor]] or entering the [[Landing Pad]] hangar on an [[Outpost]], [[Drake-Class Carrier|Fleet Carrier]], or [[Surface Port]] will return the ship to a breathable oxygen atmosphere and halt the countdown, though it will restart if the canopy is not repaired and the ship returns to vacuum. Docking with a starport will also immediately refill the Life Support module's oxygen supply.

A damaged but unbreached canopy can be repaired outside of a station either by use of an [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit]] or [[Repair Limpet Controller]]; once breached, the canopy can only be repaired at a facility with landing pads and repair services.

=== Ice buildup ===
[[File:ED-Orca-spaceship-cockpit-sideview.png|thumb|256px|Ice formation on the edges of an [[Orca]]'s canopy.]]
Ice starts forming on the canopy if the ship's [[Heat|temperature]] falls below 10%, which can occur after shutting down [[modules]] or dropping a [[Heatsink Launcher|heatsink]]. Ice presents no danger, and is simply a cosmetic effect.

=== Scratch marks ===
[[File:Mandalay_Canopy-ScratchMarks.png|thumb|256px|Scratch marks on a [[Mandalay]]'s canopy.]]
At lower paint integrity levels, scratch marks will start to appear on the canopy, visible at angles where light is reflected off the ship's interior. The scratch marks will be removed upon restoring the ship's paint integrity through Advanced Maintenance services. Similar to ice buildup, scratch marks present no danger and are merely a cosmetic effect.

=== Steam condensation ===
[[File:KestrelMkII_Canopy-SteamCondensation.png|thumb|256px|Steam condensation on the edges of a [[Kestrel Mk II]]'s canopy.]]
On certain ships, such as the Kestrel Mk II and [[Lynx Highliner]], steam will start clouding the edges of the canopy with condensation once the ship is above 100% heat. The condensation will disappear when the ship's heat drops below 100%. While steam condensation on its own is a cosmetic effect, seeing it is an indication that the ship is overheating and taking module (and, above 150% heat, hull) damage.

== Notes ==
* In ''[[Elite Dangerous: Odyssey]]'', it is not possible to [[On Foot|disembark]] from a ship onto the surface of a planet if the ship's canopy is breached.
* Despite being located on the outside of the ship, the Canopy is considered an internal module for [[Module Reinforcement Package|Module Reinforcement]] protection.

== Trivia ==
* A mock-up screenshot of the steam condensation effect was previewed during the ''Elite Dangerous'' beta period in 2014.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/51t51f/remember_the_window_condensation_while_fuel/ r/EliteDangerous: Remember the window condensation while fuel scooping?]</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Elite dangerous vr canopy breach|[[Krait Mk II]] (VR)
File:Elite Dangerous - Canopy Breach|[[Imperial Cutter]]
File:Python-Canopy-Broken.png|A broken canopy on a [[Python]].
File:Vulture Canopy Breach.jpg|A broken canopy on a [[Vulture]].
</gallery>

== References ==
<references />
[[ru:Фонарь кабины]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Technology]]

Ship Canopy - Revision history

Fandom>Androgeos Exeunt: Moved the "Surviving a breached canopy" section into a subsection under "Cracking and breaching", and since almost everything is now under one section, renamed the containing "Audio and visual effects" section to just "Effects".