Polaris Dawn Mission: Launch Day | NASA's Kennedy Space Center
From left to right: Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer, Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander, Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot, Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist
From left to right: Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot, Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer, Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist, Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander
SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) in Merritt Island, Florida
Early morning at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) in Merritt Island, Florida
SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, August 27 at 3:38 a.m. ET for launch of the Polaris Dawn Mission on a Falcon 9 rocket and specially-modified Crew Dragon spacecraft at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) in Merritt Island, Florida.
The Polaris Dawn Mission will fly a specially-modified SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft higher than any mission to date since the Apollo program, endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown at approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth. Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn will conduct research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health, while testing laser-based communications.
The Polaris Dawn crew is preparing for the mission’s "first commercial spacewalk". This extravehicular activity (EVA) will be the final test for SpaceX’s newly-developed EVA spacesuit.
"Completing the first commercial extravehicular activity in low-Earth orbit is an important first step towards a future where millions of humans are visiting, working, and living on the Moon, Mars, and other destinations in our solar system."
The goals of the spacesuit tests are:
1. Familiarization with how the spacesuit performs in a vacuum
2. Collection of spacesuit and biometric data to assess the overall system’s performance in a flight-like environment
3. Understanding of general impacts of pressure changes on their body during pressurized operations
4. Insight into thermal states expected throughout the spacewalk
5. An elevated metabolic period for the crew to simulate the expected workload during the spacewalk, as well as a reduced-activity period to understand the trend of body temperatures throughout the operation
Polaris Dawn’s spacewalk will be the first time that four astronauts will be concurrently exposed to the vacuum of space. During the approximately two-hour-long operation, Mission Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis will separately exit the Dragon spacecraft through its forward hatch. Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet and Mission Specialist & Medical Officer Anna Menon will remain seated, managing spacesuit umbilicals and monitoring telemetry on Dragon’s interior displays.
Polaris Dawn Crew
Jared Isaacman - Mission Commander
Scott Poteet - Mission Pilot
Sarah Gillis - Mission Specialist
Anna Menon - Mission Specialist & Medical Officer
Learn more about the Polaris Program:
Image Credits: Polaris Program/SpaceX
Image Dates: Aug. 25-26, 2024
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