SpaceX Launches First-Ever Risky Private Spacewalk Mission

[Social Media]

 

SpaceX has embarked on its most daring mission yet, launching a crew of four private astronauts on a groundbreaking journey that will include the first-ever spacewalk by civilians. The mission, which blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is a significant milestone in private space exploration, traditionally the domain of highly trained government astronauts.

 

 

The Polaris Dawn mission features a diverse crew: billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees. This mission marks a bold step forward in space exploration, as the crew will use SpaceX's newly designed spacesuits and a redesigned spacecraft. The mission had faced delays, including a last-minute postponement due to a helium leak on the launchpad and subsequent grounding by U.S. regulators following an unrelated booster recovery failure. Despite these setbacks, the mission is now in orbit around Earth.

 

 

This journey is filled with unprecedented risks. Only one crew member has previously been to space, and the SpaceX Dragon capsule will take them farther from Earth than any human has traveled since the Apollo missions, venturing through the planet’s radiation belts. The crew is set to attempt the first private spacewalk, testing new spacesuits in the vacuum of space from a spacecraft that lacks an airlock. The mission’s high level of risk raises questions about its insurability, but it is moving forward with determination.

 

Jared Isaacman, who commands and funds the mission, is a passionate advocate for humanity’s exploration beyond Earth. He views the experiments and technological advancements on this flight as crucial steps in this journey. Isaacman has already paid for three Polaris missions, with the hope that the third will involve SpaceX's Starship, the mega-rocket envisioned by Elon Musk to one day carry humans to Mars. Musk has optimistically projected that uncrewed Starship flights could occur within two years, with crewed missions following two years later, and the establishment of a self-sustaining city on Mars within 20 years. While this timeline may seem ambitious, missions like Polaris Dawn are seen as essential in making such goals a reality.

 

Elon Musk emphasized the mission's importance and inherent risks, noting that "crew safety is absolutely paramount and this mission carries more risk than usual, as it will be the furthest humans have traveled from Earth since Apollo and the first commercial spacewalk." Spacewalks have been a routine part of space missions, with around 270 conducted on the International Space Station since its inception in 2000, and 16 by Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station. However, the Polaris Dawn mission represents a new chapter in space exploration, as it is driven by private enterprise rather than government agencies.

 

The mission, which will last about five days, follows an elliptical orbit ranging from 190 km (118 miles) to 1,400 km (870 miles) from Earth, making it the furthest human space mission since the Apollo moon landings ended in 1972. As the spacecraft continues its journey, the crew is preparing for their historic spacewalk with a "two-day pre-breathe process" to acclimate them to the conditions they will face on Thursday.

 

This mission not only pushes the boundaries of what private space exploration can achieve but also brings humanity one step closer to realizing the dream of interplanetary travel. The success of Polaris Dawn could pave the way for even more ambitious missions in the future, inching closer to the possibility of human settlement on Mars.

 

Credit: Sky News 2024-09-11

 

 

 

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[Tug]

Safe journey and return I wonder why the rich guys are taking such a risk seems kinda foolhardy to me,perhaps that’s to strong but an unessary risk nonetheless.safe journey and return.

[WDSmart]

We should quit spending our money, time, and resources on space travel and focus all that on trying to clean up our own planet. 

[Stargeezr]

I am glad to see money spent on space ventures. So many people spend money on earthly matters

only to see it go into a black hole, and no real benefits to show. Just google how many bad loans

etc have happened around the world, it will shock you. Governments all over the world have the

skills to take tax payer money and throw it away to some other country, where it is just wasted

and not paid back.

[parallelman]

Hope all goes well. Private companies are going to invest in this sooner or later as they will want mining/exploration rights in the future.

[expat_4_life]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Safe journey and return I wonder why the rich guys are taking such a risk seems kinda foolhardy to me,perhaps that’s to strong but an unessary risk nonetheless.safe journey and return.

 

Probably for the same reasons that

 

Five men have been declared dead days after they left for a voyage in a 22-foot submersible to see the wreckage of the Titanic.

[thaibeachlovers]

Risky, only by the same criteria as sitting on a giant bomb as it leaves the surface. So many spacewalks have been done already that it's hardly a greater risk. IMO it's all to drum up a bit of support for an expensive venture that has all been done before. Bit like watching the trapeze artist in a circus.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

I am glad to see money spent on space ventures. So many people spend money on earthly matters

only to see it go into a black hole, and no real benefits to show. Just google how many bad loans

etc have happened around the world, it will shock you. Governments all over the world have the

skills to take tax payer money and throw it away to some other country, where it is just wasted

and not paid back.

LOL.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/14/investing/elon-musk-wealth-taxpayer-support/index.html

Without taxpayer support, however, neither Tesla nor SpaceX would have survived this long, and investors never would have had the chance to make massive bets on both companies.

[rovinman]

""The crew is set to attempt the first private spacewalk, testing new spacesuits in the vacuum of space from a spacecraft that lacks an airlock.""

 

Seems a little fool-hardy to me  !

 

But , I did enjoy biting my fingernails watching ""Apollo 13""

[john donson]

wasted tax payers money, don't say spacex, when he get the money to play 

[Pouatchee]

i was born mid 1960's right  in the middle of the space race... ive always loved space. this is great news.

 

also... maybe musk will answer the question; "is the moon really hollow?"  😊

[OneManShow]

Are they really going to space ?!!!. Their suits look like cheap ones in cheesy space movies.!!! 
 

 

 

Edited September 11 by OneManShow

[pacovl46]

No airlock sounds very risky!!!

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, rovinman said:

""The crew is set to attempt the first private spacewalk, testing new spacesuits in the vacuum of space from a spacecraft that lacks an airlock.""

 

Seems a little fool-hardy to me  !

 

But , I did enjoy biting my fingernails watching ""Apollo 13""

Isn't that the way they did it the first time around? There likely isn't enough room for an airlock and to do so would require a lot larger craft, something like a shuttle. Perhaps they should be building something like that instead of starting from zero.

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

i was born mid 1960's right  in the middle of the space race... ive always loved space. this is great news.

 

also... maybe musk will answer the question; "is the moon really hollow?"  😊

Perhaps the moon men are waiting for a bit of protein to go with their cheese.

[Pouatchee]

28 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps the moon men are waiting for a bit of protein to go with their cheese.

 

it shall all be learned. i hope they dont wake up the transformers...

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

 

it shall all be learned. i hope they dont wake up the transformers...

Nah, they are hiding on the dark side of the moon listening to Pink Floyd.