Two astronauts from the Polaris Dawn mission will venture into the void of space in SpaceX’s new spacesuits. Here’s how to follow this civilian spacewalk, the first of its kind from a commercial spacecraft.
This will be one of the highlights of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, launched into space on September 10, 2024. Barely torn from the Earth’s surface, the astronauts began preparing for it. On Thursday, September 12, part of this crew composed of civilians will perform a spacewalk. In other words, the astronauts will exit the Crew Dragon capsule, for an “escapade” “getaway” into the vacuum of space.
Follow the spacewalk of Polaris Dawn, SpaceX’s mission, live
Like the Polaris Dawn launch, the spacewalk will be livestreamed by SpaceX’s X (formerly Twitter) account — the tweet broadcasting the video had not yet been published at the time of this article’s publication on September 11.
- When ? Thursday, September 12, 2024, starting at 8h23 (Paris time).
- Or ? The event, which takes place in space in Earth orbit, will be broadcast on SpaceX’s X accountfrom 1 hour before the start of the astronauts’ exit.
- Quoi ? The Polaris Dawn spacewalk, SpaceX’s civilian-led mission.
How will the Polaris Dawn spacewalk go?
The spacewalk is scheduled to occur on day 3 of Polaris Dawn’s flight. It will be the first opportunity for civilian astronauts to venture into space wearing specially developed suits by SpaceX. However, not the entire crew will go out. That privilege will be reserved for Jared Isaacman, mission commander, and Sarah Gillis, mission specialist. Pilot Scott Poteet and mission specialist Anna Menon will remain in the capsule.
In preparation for this release, the Crew Dragon capsule’s orbit must be lowered. Previously, the capsule had made several revolutions to an altitude ofenviron 1 400 km — the most grande distance from Earth reached by humans since the end of the Apollo program.
In addition, the capsule began a specific procedure just after takeoff to reduce the pressure on board and increase nitrogen levels.
This allows to purge nitrogen which is found in the blood of astronauts. The aim is to limit as much as possible the risk of decompression sickness (one of the worst fears of astronauts) during the spacewalk. Since the Crew Dragon does not have an airlock, like the ISS, this protocol must be carried out throughout the capsule.
If the spacewalk cannot take place as planned on September 12, SpaceX has indicated that ” A backup opportunity is available on Friday, September 13 at the same time ».
While waiting for the spacewalk, it is also possible to track where the Polaris Dawn crew is above Earth at any given moment.
Source: www.numerama.com
