Spacecraft Model "Crew Dragon" Once Again Touches Down on Earth.
It's an impressive journey: Billionaire Jared Isaacman and three other non-professional astronauts are currently returning to Earth after spending several days in the vastness of space aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This trip was part of the "Polaris Dawn" mission.
The private space mission concluded this morning with the SpaceX Crew Dragon landing in the ocean, as captured in live images from SpaceX's broadcast. Initially, SpaceX had predicted the spacecraft would touch down near Florida's southern tip.
The adventure began at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, with the SpaceX Crew Dragon blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once in orbit, the spacecraft reached an altitude of approximately 1,400 kilometers, making it the farthest humans have traveled from Earth since the Apollo missions to the Moon in the early 1970s, SpaceX described. The International Space Station, in operation for decades, hoveres at about 400 kilometers above Earth.
During the mission, the most risky part, labeled "the first commercial spacewalk" by SpaceX, was carried out. Jared Isaacman and SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis were expected to spend 15-20 minutes outside the spacecraft testing new spacesuits. However, due to the brevity of the activity, which only lasted a few minutes, both remained attached to a kind of ladder in the Crew Dragon's entrance instead of floating freely in space.
Unlike the ISS, which has an airlock, the Crew Dragon does not. Consequently, all four crewmembers, including ex-military pilot Kidd Poteet and SpaceX employee Anna Menon, had to wear their spacesuits during the mission. They also had to face the vacuum of space while the hatch was open and there was no breathable air inside the cabin.
Space travellers Jared Isaacman and his crew successfully completed the first commercial spacewalk during their mission, despite initial plans for them to float freely outside the spacecraft. Upon returning to Earth, these SpaceX Crew Dragon spacefarers will continue to make history as they were the farthest humans from Earth since the Apollo missions.
