The two astronauts on SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission exit the Crew Dragon capsule and are exposed to the vacuum of space, a first for civilian astronauts traveling aboard a commercial spacecraft.
The moment was highly anticipated. Two astronauts from SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission are venturing into the void of space, this Thursday, September 12, 2024. It was almost 1 p.m. when astronaut Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, emerged from the Crew Dragon capsule. He was quickly followed by Sarah Gillis, a mission specialist. Thus, both can experience a flight outside the ship, 700 km from the Earth’s surface.
This spacewalk by civilians is unprecedented from a commercial vessel. Today’s spacewalk is the first extravehicular activity to use commercially developed hardware and procedures, as well as SpaceX’s new spacewalk suit. ” SpaceX stressed on X (ex-Twitter).
How should the Polaris Dawn astronauts’ spacewalk take place?
Although Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis are the only ones to make it out of the capsule, the rest of the crew is also exposed to the vacuum of space. Pilot Scott Poteet and Mission Specialist Anna Menon, who remain in the Crew Dragon, are exposed as the hatch opens to let Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis out.
The two astronauts do not come out at the same time. They must come out ” separately from the vehicle for approximately 12 minutes each and (perform) a series of suit mobility tests during the spacewalk », SpaceX summarizes. In total, the spacewalk should last 2 hours — from the depressurization of the capsule, until the hatch closes and the pressurization of the Crew Dragon.
Preparation for the spacewalk began shortly after the Polaris Dawn mission took off on September 10. A procedure was started in the capsule to prepare the astronauts for the space environment. The pressure in the spacecraft was gradually decreased, while increasing the oxygen concentration. The aim is to avoid any decompression incident while the astronauts are in the vacuum of space.
For SpaceX, this spacewalk is part of a broader goal : « Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require thousands of space suits “The few moments that Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will spend in space wearing their suits must therefore be used to develop this equipment, with a view to (ambitious) future long-term space missions.
Source: www.numerama.com
