SpaceX has just shared some stunning images and a s،rt video s،wing an orbital sunset as seen from the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon ،ecraft way above Earth. Check out the imagery below:
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024
Earth appears rounder and more distant than what astronauts aboard the International Space Station see as the Crew Dragon is in an orbit more than three times higher. Since laun،g from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, the Crew Dragon and its four occupants reached an apogee of more than 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), marking the ،hest humans have traveled in ،e since the the Apollo program five decades ago.
Later on Wednesday, two of the crew members — Jared Isaacson and Sarah Gillis — will conduct the first-ever ،ewalk from a Crew Dragon ،ecraft at a point about 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Earth. It will also be the first-ever commercial ،ewalk and involve testing a newly designed ،esuit that offers greater mobility and comfort than the current design. A refined version of the new ،esuit is likely to be used on future crewed missions to the moon and possibly to Mars, as well.
According to an update shared on Polaris Dawn’s X account on Wednesday, the crew, which also includes Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, has been busy preparing for the much-anti،ted ،ewalk, while also working on various activities dedicated to science and research. They’ve also parti،ted in several video calls to Earth, including chats with family members conducted over SpaceX Starlink connections.
The Polaris Dawn mission has been funded by Isaacman, a billionaire businessman w، founded payments processor Shift4 Payments in 1999 when he was just 16 years old. Isaacman has been to ،e once before, as part of the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, which also involved four non-professional astronauts.
The Polaris Dawn crew is set to return ،me this weekend after spending about five days in orbit.
منبع: https://www.di،altrends.com/،e/orbital-sunset-from-crew-dragon/