The historic crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn has safely returned to Earth. After a successful five-day mission that reached the furthest orbit since Apollo 17’s moon flight in 1972, the four-member crew landed off the Florida Coast as planned. The Crew Dragon capsule touched down in the Gulf of Mexico at 3:37 a.m. EDT, with all four main parachutes deploying successfully.
The Polaris Dawn team set a record by traveling the farthest distance from Earth in five decades, reaching an altitude of 874 miles. Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis made history by conducting the first commercial spacewalk on September 12. They tested SpaceX’s new spacesuits during their 10-minute spacewalk.
The crew also conducted research in orbit, including monitoring venous gas emboli, kidney stone formation in microgravity, and CPR procedures aboard the Dragon. They also tested Starlink’s laser technology for internet connectivity in orbit, successfully holding a 40+ minute video call with the SpaceX team on Earth.
The Dragon spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on September 10 and had to undergo a “deorbit burn” to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. The fiery reentry was visible from Earth, resembling a comet.
Crew Dragon has been the only U.S. vehicle capable of safely transporting humans to and from orbit since 2021. The Polaris Dawn mission faced delays due to weather conditions but ultimately launched on September 14. The crew underwent extensive training with SpaceX simulations to prepare for the challenging voyage.
Overall, the Polaris Dawn mission was a significant milestone for commercial space travel and research.
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