Historic Spacewalk by Private Crew
Groundbreaking Spacewalk: Private Crew Achieves Historic Milestone in Space Travel
In a groundbreaking achievement for private space exploration, billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis have become the first non-professional astronauts to complete a spacewalk. This milestone, performed on the Polaris Dawn mission, showcases the dramatic advancements and risks associated with commercial space travel.
Historic Spacewalk Achieved
At 11:52 BST, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis stepped out of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to perform one of the most complex maneuvers in space. Dressed in specially designed extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, the duo floated 435 miles (700 km) above Earth, demonstrating the capabilities of SpaceX’s new technology. Isaacman, who funded the Polaris Dawn mission, was the first to exit, followed by Gillis, who works for SpaceX.
“I’m amazed at how perfect Earth looks from here,” Isaacman remarked as he began his spacewalk. The spacewalk was commercially funded and marks a significant departure from previous space missions, which were conducted by astronauts from government space agencies using traditional airlock systems.
Innovative Technology and Risks
The spacewalk was a remarkable achievement, considering the Dragon capsule lacked an airlock—making it entirely exposed to the space vacuum. To prepare for this risky maneuver, the crew spent two days “pre-breathing” to mitigate decompression sickness, or “the bends,” by replacing nitrogen in their blood with oxygen. The capsule was depressurized to more closely match the conditions of space.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a research scientist at the Open University, praised SpaceX’s innovative approach: “It’s really exciting and shows that SpaceX is not afraid to do things differently.” The EVA suits used for this mission feature advanced technology, including a heads-up display in the helmet that provides real-time data about the suit’s status. Sarah Gillis read out information from her display while outside the capsule.
A New Era in Space Travel
The success of this spacewalk is a significant milestone in the history of space exploration. The Dragon capsule, which has previously completed 46 missions, and the new EVA suits represent a major leap forward. The mission also set a record for the most people in the vacuum of space at once, as all four astronauts wore the new suits.
The Polaris Dawn mission, which departed Earth on Tuesday aboard a SpaceX rocket, aims to reach up to 870 miles (1,400 km) in orbit—further than any human has traveled since the end of NASA’s Apollo program in the 1970s. While government space agencies like NASA look to private sector advancements to reduce space travel costs, entrepreneurs like Isaacman and Elon Musk are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, aiming to make space travel more accessible to non-professional astronauts.
Although this achievement is a major symbolic step forward, the high costs of space travel still pose a significant barrier. Nonetheless, this historic spacewalk represents a bold move towards the future of commercial space exploration.
Stay tuned for more updates as private space missions continue on push the limits of human exploration and innovation.
