The private space mission that aims to complete the first civilian spacewalk in history is expected to launch this week. x.com/SpaceX/status/1827667505600667924″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:x;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>SpaceX said it is targeting 3:38 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 27, for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Polaris Dawn crew into orbit. Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn plans to send its crew of four private citizens as far as 870 miles from Earth — farther than any human has traveled since the Apollo program. The spacewalk, which will see two of the crew members exit the SpaceX Dragon capsule, will take place at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth.
The Polaris Dawn crew includes Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, as commander, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet as pilot and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon as mission specialists. Menon will also serve as medical officer. The mission is expected to last about five days.
Although only two crew members will leave the spacecraft during the flight, they will all be exposed to the vacuum of space when the hatch opens (the Dragon capsule has no airlock). It will be a critical test for SpaceX's new extravehicular activity spacesuits, which the entire Polaris Dawn crew will have to wear to stay safe. In an interview with tech/science/space/spacex/2024/08/23/sarah-gillis-and-anna-menon-isaacman-polaris-dawn-dragon-falcon-9-launch-and-spacex-eva-suit-nasa/74825925007/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:Florida Today;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> Before the mission, Menon said the suits had gone through extensive field testing and he expressed confidence in their performance. “We absolutely know the suits can be pressurized there,” Menon said, adding that the team has “spent a lot of time pressurizing the suits right now.”
Polaris Dawn will also test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space for the first time and collect data to support research into the effects of spaceflight on human health. The mission has been in the works for several years and is the first of three planned Polaris spaceflights.
