All articles tagged with #polaris dawn
NASA's new astronaut candidate Anna Menon, who previously flew to space on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission in 2024, was announced as part of the 2025 astronaut class. She has extensive space experience and a background in biomedical engineering, focusing on space medicine. The class will undergo two years of training for potential missions to the Moon, Mars, and space stations.
President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire Jared Isaacman, known for his involvement in commercial space missions like Polaris Dawn and Inspiration 4, to lead NASA. Isaacman, who founded the payment-processing company Shift4, will replace Bill Nelson as NASA Administrator. He has pledged to advance U.S. space exploration efforts, including missions to the Moon and Mars. This appointment is part of Trump's trend of selecting unconventional leaders for government roles.
Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, led the historic Polaris Dawn mission, marking the first private space walk and breaking NASA's Earth orbit record. The mission tested new SpaceX spacesuits and Starlink communication technology, while conducting 38 experiments on human health in space. Isaacman described the intense experience of being outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule and emphasized the challenges of living off-world. The Polaris Program plans two more missions, aiming for technological advancements and eventual human settlement on Mars.
The Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission, which will feature the first spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft, has been delayed to at least mid-2024. The delay is due to the need for a new spacesuit and modifications to the spacecraft to enable the spacewalk. The mission will also test intersatellite communications and conduct health research, lasting up to five days.
The private Polaris Dawn orbital mission, which aims to achieve the first-ever private spacewalk and test SpaceX's Starlink internet service in space, has been delayed from April to summer 2024. The mission will launch four people to Earth orbit in a Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket, with the goal of spending up to five days in orbit. The delay is to ensure the completion of mission goals and a safe launch and return. The mission will also raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and is the first of three missions in the Polaris Program, which aims to push the boundaries of private spaceflight.
Polaris Dawn astronauts Jared Isaacman and Scott “Kidd” Poteet are preparing for a historic commercial spacewalk as part of their upcoming mission, which also includes conducting experiments and raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The crew will use SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to reach a higher orbit and demonstrate laser-based communications using the Starlink internet constellation. The development of extravehicular activity (EVA) suits for the spacewalk is progressing rapidly, with the hope of supporting future missions, including potential repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew remains mindful of past spaceflight tragedies and is focused on thorough training and preparation for their mission.
The Polaris Dawn mission, a private space mission funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman in collaboration with SpaceX, has been delayed to April 2024. The mission aims to conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk, test Starlink in space, and perform scientific work. The timeline has been pushed back approximately 18 months from the initial launch target of the fourth quarter of 2022. The mission faces challenges such as developing new spacesuits optimized for spacewalks and addressing concerns about radiation exposure. Isaacman expressed confidence in the SpaceX team's ability to overcome these issues. The larger Polaris Program is still in the planning stages, with Isaacman considering the use of Starship for at least one of the missions.
The first mission of the Polaris program, Polaris Dawn, which includes the first spacewalk on a commercial mission, has been rescheduled for April 2024. The delay of nearly a year and a half from its original plan is due to challenges in developing an extravehicular activity (EVA) suit and modifying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which lacks an airlock. Other issues include testing intersatellite laser communications links and electronics for the higher radiation environment. The launch date has been repeatedly pushed back since the program's announcement in February 2022.
The first mission of the Polaris program, Polaris Dawn, is likely to be delayed until 2024, according to billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is backing a series of private astronaut missions with SpaceX. The mission, which will include the first spacewalk on a commercial mission, was originally scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022 but has faced multiple delays. Isaacman cited the development of a new spacesuit required for the spacewalk as a reason for the delay. The Polaris program aims to culminate in the first crewed launch of Starship, but Isaacman acknowledged that there is still a lot of progress to be made on Starship before it is ready for human spaceflight.
The Polaris Dawn mission crew will be dedicating major time to probe health impacts on the body from their sojourn into space, including the Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), a malady that includes swelling of the optic nerve, alteration in the shape of the eye itself, as well causing fuzziness to vision. SANS is tied to the absence of gravity's effects on the body, causing a fluid shift that can generate pressure changes in the brain and eye. The crew will be using a device built by PlenOptika and a Sensimed-produced "Triggerfish" contact lens to measure how the cornea changes shape over time.