More details: Visit websiteHeadlines:
Matthew Dominick, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), captured a remarkable timelapse video, showing the Moon setting and the Sun rising against the backdrop of dazzling aurora lights. Dominick shared his video on with the caption: "Timelapse of the moon setting into s⁘
On Monday, Isaacman and three crewmates — including his close friend and former Air Force pilot, Scott "Kidd" Poteet, as well as two SpaceX engineers, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis — will arrive at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for the launch of a far grander, more dangerous, and experimental trip to space.
The mission, called Polaris Dawn, is slated to take off no earlier than 3:30 a.m. ET on August 26.
While prior missions to space that were funded by wealthy businesspeople may have conjured images of self-indulgent joy rides, Polaris Dawn is a test mission designed to push boundaries.
Isaacman, Menon, Gillis and Poteet will spend five days aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will soar to altitudes higher than any human has traveled since NASA's Apollo program ended in the 1970s. Their orbital path will extend high enough to plunge the vehicle and crew into a radiation belt, adding another element of peril to the already treacherous experience of spaceflight.
This crew of private citizens will also open the hatch of their spacecraft and expose themselves to the vacuum of space, marking the first time such a feat has been attempted by non-government astronauts. During this endeavor, the astronauts will be protected solely by brand-new Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits, which SpaceX designed and developed in just two and a half years.
With Polaris Dawn, Isaacman — the founder of payment services company Shift4, who is also a jet pilot with lifelong dreams of space travel — is making clear he is not just interested in duplicating what professional astronauts have experienced. He is seeking to advance space technology, helping to fund the development of new hardware as well as personally exposing himself to the risks of testing out that technology where it matters most: in the unforgiving void of outer space.
No comments:
Post a Comment