By The Big Magazine Staff
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew has recently concluded a full series of spacesuit acceptance tests in anticipation of the mission's extravehicular activity, commonly known as a spacewalk. This marks the last major developmental and testing milestone for SpaceX's newly-designed EVA spacesuit.
The new suit design marks a crucial initial stage in preparing a commercial suit for the general public, intended for the millions of humans who will visit or work in space.
The upcoming spacewalk by Polaris Dawn will be historic as it will be the first commercial spacewalk ever conducted, and it will also be the first time that four astronauts will be simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space. The operation is expected to last around two hours, with Mission Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis exiting the Dragon spacecraft through its forward hatch. Meanwhile, Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet and Mission Specialist & Medical Officer Anna Menon will stay inside, overseeing spacesuit connections and monitoring Dragon’s internal displays.
Conducted at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, from June 24-28, this last milestone in spacesuit testing utilized a chamber facility with a rich history. The facility, originally used for testing America's early spacesuits and spacecraft during the Gemini and Apollo programs, was constructed in the mid-1960s. Recognized for its historical significance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and continues to be actively used for a variety of space industry tests.
“It was a profound feeling for our crew to conduct operations in the same vacuum chambers that supported the Gemini and Apollo programs in the 1960s,” said Jared Isaacman.
“These facilities were declared national historic landmarks because of the history they made then, and still today they make history and advance humankind’s capabilities in space. We are very grateful to the teams at NASA and SpaceX who contributed to the development and safe testing of these spacesuits.”
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