Isaacman and Gillis Complete First Private Spacewalk
In a historic achievement for SpaceX, billionaire Jared Isaacman and company crew trainer Sarah Gillis conducted the first privately funded spacewalk early Thursday morning. Floating just outside their Crew Dragon capsule, Isaacman experienced the breathtaking view of Earth 458 miles below. He reflected on the scene, saying, “Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world.”
Today’s outing marks the first time that four people were exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time. While Isaacman and Gillis were the only ones to exit the capsule, the entire Dragon spacecraft was exposed to vacuum conditions.
During the spacewalk, Polaris Dawn crewmates Anna Menon and Scott Poteet monitored safety tethers and umbilicals from inside the Crew Dragon, which remained airless with its hatch open. Isaacman ventured into open space at approximately 6:51 a.m. New York time (EDT), using a scaffold-like “Skywalker” framework for stability. The endeavor ended at 7:58 a.m. EDT.
Although Isaacman’s feet were outside the hatch, he remained attached to the Crew Dragon and did not drift away. The SpaceX-designed pressure suits did not have their own oxygen supply or life support systems, relying instead on 12-foot-long umbilicals to provide air, power, and communication.
Completion of the spacewalk was a major milestone for the Polaris Dawn flight. Previously, only astronauts from government space agencies had conducted spacewalks to build or upgrade space stations in orbit, repair satellites and complete science experiments.
Overall, the Polaris Dawn mission is designed to test procedures and technologies that could be used in future long-duration space missions. Already in their journey, the crew members flew to the highest orbital altitude that humans have reached since the final Apollo moon mission in 1972: 870 miles above Earth’s surface.
