SpaceX will conduct humanity's first commercial spacewalk
2024-09-11
The artwork of the "Polaris Dawn" spacecraft shows a crew member floating outside the "Dragon" spacecraft cabin on a life support belt. The 24 crew members of the "Polaris Dawn" spacecraft are wearing spacesuits, which are equipped with copper colored goggles and a series of key updates to SpaceX's typical spacesuits. Recently, SpaceX successfully launched the "Polaris Dawn" spacecraft. This space mission not only achieved the farthest distance humans have flown from Earth since the Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972, but also carried out the first commercial spacewalk by humans. According to reports, the Polaris Dawn spacecraft carried four American citizens and was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Multiple foreign media outlets have described this mission as "unprecedented" and will usher in a new era of commercial space exploration. Previously, the launch date was originally scheduled for late August, but it failed due to ground system issues and weather delays at the launch site. The four crew members who donated money to participate in this "launch" by billionaires include billionaire Jared Isaacs, pilot Scott Potitt, and two SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. CNN reported that Isaac Mann and SpaceX jointly funded this mission. Isaac Mann has a passionate interest in the aerospace industry. In 2009, at the age of 36, Isaac Mann flew a MiG lifeboat around the world in 61 hours, 51 minutes, and 15 seconds. Potit is a retired Air Force fighter pilot. Menon and Gillis will serve as task experts. Menon was a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station, while Gillis helped train astronauts to pilot the Dragon spacecraft at SpaceX. According to the US Space Network, the crew will board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft into an elliptical orbit and fly to an initial maximum altitude (apogee) of approximately 1200 kilometers, where they will spend their first day in space. The website of CNBC, citing Isaac Mann, stated that on this day, they will search for the time with the least risk of debris passing through micro meteorite orbits, while conducting extensive checks on the performance of the manned "Dragon" spacecraft before entering the Van Allen radiation belt. It is really important to confirm that the spacecraft is not malfunctioning before reaching an altitude of 1400 kilometers. After several orbits, the Dragon spacecraft will raise its apogee to a maximum altitude of 1400 kilometers. As Isaac Mann said, they will reach heights that humans have never reached in over 50 years. The "Polaris Dawn" spacecraft will cross the anomalous zone in the South Atlantic, where the concentration of electrons and high-energy protons is very high. The Van Allen radiation belt is depressed here to a distance of 200 kilometers from the ground. The radiation dose received during a 5-day stay here is equivalent to the radiation dose received during a 3-month stay on the International Space Station. However, during this process, the crew will use radiation monitors and badges to record the radiation dose they have received, with a focus on analyzing the impact of deep space radiation environment on the human body. Using this data and biological samples, scientists hope to test tools that reduce bone and muscle loss during spaceflight. In addition, the crew will conduct a series of other health studies, including measuring bubbles in the blood to study decompression sickness. Before returning to Earth, the four individuals will focus on conducting approximately 40 scientific experiments. The spacewalk received the most attention during the 5-day mission, with the third day's spacewalk receiving the most attention. This is the core mission of "North Star Dawn" and will also be the first commercial spacewalk. According to CNBC, conducting extravehicular activities during external maintenance of the International Space Station has been a routine task for NASA astronauts for many years, but no private company has ever attempted such a spacewalk before. According to the plan, Isaac Mann and Gillis will conduct this spacewalk. They will take turns completely leaving the Dragon spacecraft and receive life support through a long hose connected to the spacecraft. Potit and Menon stayed inside the spacecraft cabin to provide support. Due to the absence of airlock compartments on the Dragon spacecraft, all four crew members will be exposed to the vacuum environment in space. In this spacewalk mission, SpaceX's newly developed extravehicular spacesuit will undergo its first test. These new spacesuits feature enhanced thermal control materials and technologies that help protect wearers from the harsh and rapidly changing environment of space. According to reports, due to the installation of many cameras inside and outside the spacecraft, the entire process of spacewalk will be live streamed. Isaac Mann said he understood the risks of spacewalks, which meant he and his companions would be "surrounded by death," for which they underwent extensive training. We plan to carry out public awareness activities for the "Polaris Dawn" spacecraft, and also plan to carry out some scientific and public awareness activities. For example, the crew carried a silver bar for future Olympic medal making. On the the fourth day, the crew will use the "Star Chain" to carry out telemedicine tests with doctors on the ground. In 5 days, the "North Star Dawn" will splash down near the coast of Florida. Musk announced in August that the "North Star Dawn" mission would be an epic feat. He described this mission as an "early pioneer of the interstellar age", and if the project progresses smoothly, it will rely on relevant technology to send hundreds of people to Earth orbit, the moon, and even Mars in the future. (New Society)
Edit:Xiong Dafei Responsible editor:Li Xiang
Source:Stdaily
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