The new era of space exploration
55 years ago, Man took a “step” away from planetary gravity. The feat of Apollo 11 took place on July 16, 1969, launched from Cape Kennedy, commanded by space engineer: Neil Alden Armstrong and lunar module pilot: Edwin Buzz Aldrin. By landing the first manned vehicle on the Moon, Armstrong became the first man to set foot on lunar terrain. An estimated 650 million people watched Armstrong's television image. The mission objectives, among others, included: scientific exploration by the lunar module crew; deployment of a television camera to transmit signals to Earth; and deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, a seismic experiment package, and a laser ranging retroreflector. Also including collecting samples of materials from the lunar surface for return to Earth, extensively photographing the lunar terrain, deployed scientific equipment, the LM spacecraft, and each other with both static and moving cameras.
In this context, this Wednesday, August 28th, the space race tends to reach new milestones, with the launch of the first manned mission of SPACE the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. A new space milestone will emerge with the Dragon mission. The first of three human space flights under the Polaris Program. All winds are blowing in favor of Space X's newest launch, which will take the spacecraft to previously unreached Earth orbits, orbiting portions of the Van Allen radiation belt. Its main objective will be to better understand the effects of space flights, as well as space radiation on human health, including testing the newly developed extravehicular space activity suit (EVA) and the new Starlink laser communication system. And why 'Polaris'?
The program mentions the classification “North Star”, which represents the star closest to the Earth's north celestial pole, a constellation of three stars that has been a guiding LIGHT throughout the history of humanity, helping navigation around the world and inspiring the search for progress.
Constituting the first manned flight by a private company, with 100% private financing, it will become the first commercial flight ever carried out. At a distance of approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth, the Polaris Dawn crew will perform more than 40 critical scientific tests designed to advance knowledge about human health, both on Earth and during future long-duration space flights.
However, what makes this mission even more exciting and disruptive is the presence of two women who masterfully make up the interstellar team. And who are the lucky ones and the lucky ones?
Crew:
The Polaris Dawn crew is made up of its commander Jared Isaacman, An experienced pilot, he led Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian mission to space that helped raise more than $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to help eradicate childhood cancer. An aviator, CEO of Shift4, and accomplished adventurer from Pennsylvania, Isaacman is qualified to fly commercial and military aircraft and holds several world air records, including two Speed-Around-The-World flights; He also took two speed flights around the world in 2008 and 2009, which raised money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He has flown in more than 100 air shows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating each performance to charitable causes.
Scott Poteet, mission pilot, director of business development at Draken International and VP of Strategy at Shift4. He is a graduate of the USAF Weapons School, Operational Test and Evaluation Pilot, and Flight Pilot. Examiner, achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, with over 20 years in various roles, including command pilot with over 3.200 flight hours in the F-16, A-4, T-38, T-37, T-3 and Alpha Jet. He logged more than 400 hours of combat during Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, t Guardian, Freedom's Sentinel, and Resolute . Like Isaacman, he served on the Inspiration4 Mission, the world's first all-civilian mission to space that helped raise more than $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® in an effort to help eradicate childhood cancer.
Sarah Gillis, mission specialist, born in Boulder, Colorado, lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, responsible for overseeing the company's astronaut training program. Officer responsible for preparing NASA astronauts for the first Demo-2 and Crew-1 missions and, more recently, directly trained the Inspiration4 astronauts, the first all-civilian crew to enter orbit. In 2015, while studying engineering and dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Sarah began an internship at SpaceX, working on human testing inside the Dragon spacecraft before moving into the astronaut training program full-time.
Ana Menon, mission specialist and medical officer, graduated in Mathematics and Spanish from Texas Christian University, has a master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, worked for seven years at NASA as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station. In this role, she ed space station crews from mission control, helped integrate international partner engineers and medical care, and led the planning and execution of all Expedition 47/48 biomedical operations. Her dream of flying to space began in fourth grade, when her teacher Alison Smith Balch (daughter of Challenger space shuttle pilot Michael J. Smith) took her on an immersive NASA field trip. In addition to pursuing his ion for space. Anna served in mission control during several Dragon missions such as Demo-2, Crew-1, CRS-22, CRS-23, Crew-3, Crew-4 and Axiom-1. A mission specialist and medical officer, she is the lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, where she manages crew operations development and serves in mission control as mission director and crew communicator. Menon lives in Houston and is married to newly appointed NASA astronaut Anil Menon. She wrote a children's book, Kisses from Space, which was inspired by her experience preparing for the Polaris Dawn mission and her desire to share her spaceflight experience with her two young children. She will read it from space during the mission and proceeds from the book's sales will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®. Kisses from Space is now available in bookstores across the country and wherever books are available online.
The Polaris Dawn crew was subjected to intense and rigorous physical and psychological tests. For more than two years the training included centrifuge operations, hundreds of hours of Dragon simulations, skydiving, survival training, flying high-performance aircraft, Zero-G flight training, altitude training and medical testing. In addition the crew received extensive EVA training, both in underwater and suspended operations, as well as associated medical training. After so much work, it is impossible not to imagine the emotion of the four astronauts when they reach outer space. Throughout the mission, they will certainly inspire humanity to look at the universe from a different perspective, increasingly encouraging research and investments aimed at space exploration, as something that can be discovered.
In this disruptive perspective of a new era, it is worth asking: what is the future vision for space exploration with the advancement of private manned missions?
