On Sept. 12, 2024, Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman emerged from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule during a groundbreaking spacewalk, marking a historic achievement. The mission concluded early Sunday at 3:36 a.m. ET, with the capsule carrying Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, splashing down off the Dry Tortugas coast in Florida.
The five-day Polaris Dawn mission was SpaceX’s fifth private endeavor with the Crew Dragon capsule and included the world’s first all-civilian spacewalk. Isaacman and Gillis executed a high-risk maneuver, spending roughly 10 minutes tethered outside the spacecraft in a vacuum, conducting tests on newly designed spacesuits. This milestone was significant as it demonstrated civilian capabilities in space, an area traditionally dominated by government astronauts.
The spacewalk was particularly challenging due to the Dragon capsule’s lack of a pressurized airlock, necessitating that all crew members wear spacesuits and the entire capsule be depressurized. Prior to this, the mission set another record by reaching an orbital altitude of 870 miles—the highest since the Apollo moon missions—allowing the capsule to pass through part of the Van Allen radiation belt. This traverse provided valuable data on space radiation effects, assisting future lunar and Martian missions.
Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4, funded the Polaris Dawn mission, his second spaceflight after the 2021 all-civilian orbit aboard SpaceX. Designed to test new technologies and strategies for long-duration missions, Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned flights in the Polaris program initiated by Isaacman and SpaceX. While the cost and timeline for subsequent missions remain undisclosed, the success of this flight advances the feasibility of future civilian space travel and exploration.
Original Story https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/15/spacex-capsule-splashes-down-after-history-making-polaris-dawn-mission.html
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