The First Spacewalk for Tourists: This Is How Billionaires Have Fun

On the afternoon of September 12, 2024, a historic event took place (albeit not without problems!): space tourists went into outer space for the first time. This became possible as part of the Polaris Dawn mission, organized and carried out by SpaceX under the leadership of Elon Musk. The first non-professional astronauts to find themselves directly in outer space were billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillies, dressed in new EVA spacesuits. The other two participants in the flight remained inside the spacecraft, but also in protective suits, because the capsule was depressurized. The mission crew had been working towards this for a very long time – they spent at least two years training. The exit was not perfect due to a broken hatch, but still good. Such an important achievement in the field of space exploration is worthy of everyone's attention, so now we will tell you all the most important things.

The first spacewalk for tourists: this is how billionaires have fun. A space tourist has gone into outer space for the first time in history. Source: NASASpaceflight. Photo.

The first space tourist has gone into outer space in history. Source: NASASpaceflight

Launch of the Polaris Dawn mission

The Polaris Dawn crewed Crew Dragon mission was originally scheduled to launch on August 27, 2024. That launch was canceled when helium leaks were found in ground equipment. A second launch attempt on August 28 was also canceled, this time due to bad weather.

The successful launch of the Polaris Dawn mission occurred only a few days later, on September 10. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off safely from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Launch of the Polaris Dawn mission. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on September 10, 2024. Source: space.com. Photo.

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on September 10, 2024. Source: space.com

The launch took place at 12:23 Moscow time. The Falcon 9 rocket that carried the ship into orbit went through all the launch stages exactly as planned. After two minutes and 40 seconds, the rocket's main engines shut down, and the first stage (booster) separated from the second stage. After that, it performed a series of maneuvers to return to the platform in the Atlantic Ocean. About 9.5 minutes later, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed on the SpaceX platform off the east coast of Florida.

Launch of the Polaris Dawn mission. Participants of the Polaris Dawn space mission. Source: space.com. Photo.

Participants in the Polaris Dawn space mission. Source: space.com

The Crew Dragon spacecraft separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage about 12 minutes after liftoff. It entered an initial orbit with a maximum altitude of about 1,200 kilometers. It subsequently rose to 1,400 kilometers, after which the long-awaited flight set a record for the highest altitude for a manned mission since the Apollo space program.

Aboard the Crew Dragon were four Polaris Down mission participants: mission commander and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

We have already written about the preparation of this mission: SpaceX space tourists will go into outer space and test new spacesuits

The goal of the Polaris Dawn mission

The main goal of the Polaris Dawn mission is to take non-professional astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis into outer space. The entire crew has been training for about two years, including hundreds of hours of exercise in simulators, parachute jumps, centrifuge tests, and underwater training to get used to weightlessness. They even climbed a volcano in Ecuador to build their endurance and team spirit.

The goal of the Polaris Dawn mission. Mission participants spent hundreds of hours testing. Photo source: spacex.com. Photo.

The mission participants spent hundreds of hours testing. Photo source: spacex.com

The spacewalk was scheduled for the third day of the mission, September 12. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis were expected to spend about 15-20 minutes outside the ship, where they would test SpaceX's proprietary EVA spacesuits. Interestingly, due to the lack of a spacewalk gateway in the Dragon capsules, the ship was specially modified: the docking port was replaced with a hatch, and oxygen and nitrogen tanks were added. Despite the fact that only two will go outside, all four crew members will be in spacesuits, which will create a new record for the number of people simultaneously in space.

The purpose of the Polaris Dawn mission. The mission tested new SpaceX spacesuits. Image source: spacex.com. Photo.

The mission tested new SpaceX spacesuits. Image source: spacex.com

In addition to the spacewalk, Polaris Dawn had other ambitious goals. The crew will test the Starlink laser satellite link to improve communications in space, and conduct more than 30 scientific experiments, including testing contact lenses with microelectronics to track changes in eye pressure and eye shape in zero gravity.

First Spacewalk for Tourists

In the end, everything went according to plan. Two crew members successfully walked into space and returned back to the Crew Dragon capsule. The historic event was broadcast live on YouTube.

The first spacewalk of tourists. View of Earth from the spacewalk platform. Image source: NASASpaceflight. Photo.

View of Earth from the spacewalk platform. Image source: NASA Spaceflight

At first everything went well, but just before the spacewalk it became clear that the hatch leading into space does not open automatically. Because of this, it had to be opened manually, which significantly delayed the process. In addition, the astronauts went into space in the shadows, which is why the broadcast was not as spectacular as SpaceX representatives had planned. Due to these problems, no one postponed the spacewalk, because the mission is already expensive. Therefore, everything went as it did – generally fine.

The first space tourist in outer space was Jared Isaacman – he climbed out of the capsule at about 13:50 Moscow time. He is the main sponsor of the mission, but how many billions he paid Elon Musk is unknown. After him, Sarah Gillies entered outer space, this happened at about 14:33 in the afternoon. They both tested their EVA suits and, apparently, everything went well.

The first spacewalk of tourists. Crew members inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Image source: NASASpaceflight. Photo.

Crew members inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Image source: NASASpaceflight

The first spacewalk of tourists. Sarah Gillies' spacewalk. Source: NASASpaceflight. Photo.

Sarah Gillies' spacewalk. Source: NASASpaceflight

The most interesting part is behind us. The Polaris Dawn mission will last a couple more days. The crew members will not be bored, because they still have to check the connection with the Starlink satellites and conduct other experiments.

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