© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Four astronauts on Polaris Dawn flight return to Earth after 1st commercial spacewalk

In this image posted by SpaceX following the first-ever commercial spacewalk by the Polaris Dawn crew, shows (L-to-R) mission specialist Sarah Gillis, commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet and mission specialist Anna Menon aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Image courtesy of SpaceX via X.com
In this image posted by SpaceX following the first-ever commercial spacewalk by the Polaris Dawn crew, shows (L-to-R) mission specialist Sarah Gillis, commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet and mission specialist Anna Menon aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Polaris Dawn — a daring private mission to space — ended successfully for its four astronauts with a pre-dawn Sunday splashdown near the Dry Tortugas off the Florida coast.

The five-day trip, funded by billionaire internet entrepreneur Jared Isaacman in which he served as the mission commander, broke several records including the first-ever commercial spacewalk using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.

Isaacman, along with fellow astronaut Sarah Gillis, took turns spending about 20 minutes each outside the capsule taking in the view and testing new spacesuits on Thursday.

It was the centerpiece of the mission, which also set the highest-ever Earth orbit by humans: 874 miles above the surface, eclipsing the record set by Gemini 11 in 1966 (and more than three times higher than the orbit of the International Space Station). The last time humans were this far from the planet was during the Apollo lunar program more than a half-century ago.

This mission was also the first time SpaceX had its own employees on a flight. Gillis is a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX and responsible for overseeing the company’s astronaut training program. She was joined by engineer Anna Menon who manages development of crew operations at SpaceX. The fourth crewmember, Scott "Kidd" Poteet, is a retired Air Force pilot who works with Isaacman.

This trip to space is the first of three flights Isaacman purchased under the Polaris Program. He previously spent three days in orbit in 2021 aboard this same SpaceX capsule on the Inspiration4 mission. He also paid for that flight and donated three seats as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Polaris Dawn is the 14th time SpaceX has sent humans into orbit.

Copyright 2024 NPR

As NPR's Southern Bureau chief, Russell Lewis covers issues and people of the Southeast for NPR — from Florida to Virginia to Texas, including West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. His work brings context and dimension to issues ranging from immigration, transportation, and oil and gas drilling for NPR listeners across the nation and around the world.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content