On Tuesday morning, billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman launched into space for the second time. This The mission, known as Polaris DawnThe rocket company headed by Elon Musk is a collaboration between Mr. Isaacman and SpaceX.
“Send us, SpaceX,” Mr. Isaacman said with just 30 seconds left in the countdown.
At 5:23 a.m. Eastern Time, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Less than 15 minutes later, the crew of four astronauts inside the Crew Dragon capsule — which would be their home for the next five days — was in orbit.
“We’re going to work now,” Mr. Isaacman said in an exchange with launch controllers on the ground.
The Polaris Dawn mission will mark several milestones for private spaceflight — the first spacewalk undertaken by non-commercial astronauts, and the furthest journey from Earth by anyone since NASA’s moon landing more than 50 years ago.
Why was the flight delayed?
The launch was scheduled for August 28, but was canceled due to a helium leak. After that, unsettled weather around Florida proved troublesome – not so much for the launch, but for the splashdown on day six.
The Polaris Dawn mission carries a limited amount of air, food and other supplies. “Unlike the ISS mission, we don’t have the option of long delays in orbit, so we have to make sure the forecast is as favorable as possible before launch,” Mr. Isaacman explained at ExRefers to the International Space Station.
On Tuesday, the weather forecast improved, and the Polaris Dawn astronauts boarded their spacecraft. However, they had to wait on the ground. Due to rain showers near the first launch opportunity, at 3:38 am, it was abandoned. Then the sky cleared enough for the launch.
Who is on the board?
In addition to Mr. Isaacman, the crew included Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and pilot who is a longtime friend of Mr. Isaacman; and two SpaceX employees, Anna Menon, space operations engineer and Sarah GillisAn engineer who oversees astronaut training.
How high above Earth will the Polaris Dawn travel?
The launch puts the spacecraft and crew into an elliptical orbit that comes within 118 miles of Earth’s surface and then exits at an altitude of 745 miles. It is the furthest from Earth that anyone has traveled since the Apollo moon missions.
After several orbits, thruster firing will push the farthest point of the orbit to 870 miles. That would surpass the 853-mile altitude reached by NASA astronauts Pete Conrad and Richard Gordon during the Gemini XI mission in 1966, a record for astronauts who did not go to the Moon.
Elliptical orbits will provide new insights into the radiation and bombardment of micrometeroids farther into space.
Another thruster firing will drop Crew Dragon into a lower orbit for the remainder of the mission.
What will happen during a spacewalk?
It is scheduled for Thursday, the third day of the mission, although the time has not yet been announced.
All four crew members will put on their spacesuits, and then all the air will escape from the capsule. The hatch would then be opened and the interior of the spacecraft would become part of the vacuum of outer space.
Only two people – Mr. Isaacman and Mrs. Gillis – about to leave the capsule for walking. Mr. Potit and Ms. Menon will remain in the capsule to administer the umbilical cord and monitor the readings to make sure everything is progressing properly.
The main goal of the spacewalk is to test the spacesuits, which SpaceX has developed for this flight. The spacesuits are an evolution of those worn on previous SpaceX missions, adding capabilities for astronauts such as protection against micrometeroids and temperature control.
After Mr. Isaacman and Ms. Gillis return inside and close the hatch, the interior of the capsule will be pressurized.
What else would they be doing in orbit?
Before and after the spacewalk, the crew will perform about 40 experiments, including obtaining magnetic resonance images of the astronauts’ brains and attempting to take X-ray images without an X-ray machine using a natural shower of radiation from outer space. .
The mission is also raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
How is this different from Mr. Isaacman’s first space trip?
In 2021, Mr. Isaacman Led and financed a mission he named Inspiration4. This was the first trip to orbit without a professional astronaut. Instead of bringing friends, Mr. Isaacman provided the seats A former cancer patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitalwho now works there as a physician assistant, and two Space enthusiasts who win competitions.
The Inspiration4 mission went into low-Earth orbit for three days and then splashed down over Florida.
Mr. Isaacman described Polaris Dawn as a “joint effort” with SpaceX, seeking to develop new technology that could be used for Mr. Musk’s dream of someday sending people to Mars. He declined to say how much he or SpaceX invested.
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