Billionaire Jared Isaacman commanded and funded the Polaris Dawn mission, which included the first commercial spacewalk conducted by private astronauts. On the third day of the mission, Isaacman and a SpaceX employee, Sarah Gillis, exited the Dragon capsule and became the first commercial astronauts to perform a spacewalk in the vacuum of space. The crew of Polaris Dawn also includes Anna Menon and Scott “Kidd” Poteet, who were exposed to the conditions of space despite remaining in the vehicle due to the lack of an airlock in the Dragon capsule.
The spacewalk was part of a series of missions under the Polaris Program, aiming to test technology that could eventually enable crewed trips to Mars. The crew also conducted various scientific experiments during the mission, including testing a new laser-based satellite communication system and studying the effects of long spaceflights on the human body.
The Polaris Dawn mission set a new record by traveling further into space than any spacecraft in over 50 years, reaching a height of about 870 miles above Earth’s surface. After the historic spacewalk, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX and the crew for their achievement, highlighting the significance of commercial space endeavors in advancing the space industry.
The crew will return to Earth on Sunday, with the Dragon capsule making a splashdown landing off the Florida coast. The success of the Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant milestone in commercial space exploration, paving the way for future missions to deep space destinations like Mars.
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