NO STEP

(Obvious idea is obvious.)

walkplate (n.): A walkway for magnetic boots (q.v.). Since starship hulls in the modern era are manufactured from a variety of light composites very few of which are significantly ferromagnetic, such walkplates are necessary to enable crewers on EVA to remain attached to the ship.

While early examples of walkplates were simply bolted to the hull, recent designs – preferring to maintain clean lines for the sake of elegance – embed a thin mesh of iron-alloy within the outermost layers of the hull structure, sufficient to be gripped by heel and toe electromagnets. Embedded v-tag transmitters and/or hull markings provide guidance as to which parts of the hull can safely be walked upon.

– A Star Traveler’s Dictionary