Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:24am on 12 Sep 2024,Thursday Science
The crew of the privately-funded Polaris Dawn mission is set to attempt the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts today. Commander Jared Isaacman and a crewmate will exit the SpaceX Dragon capsule, more than 400 miles above Earth, for several minutes in space. Unlike professional astronauts, the crew lacks traditional training and will be using an experimental spacesuit. Notably, the spacewalk will be conducted without the safety of an airlock, a first since the early days of space exploration. Despite the risks, Isaacman, who is also funding the mission, stated the mission's challenges are "worth it."
