Elon Musk’s SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission to be one of the most dangerous spacewalks in history | Technology News
SpaceX is all set to commence its Polaris Dawn mission, which will launch US billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others into space. This will be the company’s attempt at the world’s first private spacewalk.
US billionaire Jared Isaacman will serve as the mission commander, while retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kid” Poteet will take on the role of pilot. Sarah Gillis from SpaceX will assume multiple critical roles, including lead space operations engineer for crew operations development, mission specialist, and medical officer.
Scheduled for August 27 at 3:38 AM PDT (4:08 PM IST), the mission will lift off with a four-hour launch window aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule, Resilience.
The five-day mission is set to be one of SpaceX’s most daring endeavours yet, featuring slim spacesuits and a cabin without an airlock, significantly increasing the mission’s risk factor.
The 20-minute spacewalk, scheduled for the third day of the mission, will take place 434 miles (700 km) above Earth, and will be the farthest any human has ventured into space. Days before the spacewalk, the crew will begin a “pre-breathe” process that will fill the cabin with pure oxygen and remove any traces of nitrogen. For the uninitiated, if Nitrogen finds its way in astronauts’ bloodstream when they are in space, they might block the blood flow and even lead to decompression sickness.
During the mission, the crew will follow an orbital path that places them within a radiation belt. At this point, they will open the spacecraft’s hatch, exposing themselves to the harsh environment of space.
Earlier this week, SpaceX held a news conference during which the company said it has already planned some contingency measures in case things go sideways.
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