For His Second Trip to Space, Billionaire Has Grander, Riskier Aspirations

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Jared Isaacman's second trip to space, the Polaris Dawn mission, which will include a daring spacewalk - the first by private astronauts. The mission aims to test new technologies, gather data on the effects of deep space travel on the human body, and further Elon Musk's dream of sending people to Mars.

🙋 Q&A

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1. What are the key details about Jared Isaacman's second trip to space?

• Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, is leading a team of 4 privately trained astronauts on the Polaris Dawn mission, a SpaceX vehicle flight
• The mission will include a spacewalk, the first by private astronauts
• The mission is longer, more daring and riskier than Isaacman's previous Inspiration4 mission, which was the first to orbit the Earth without a professional astronaut aboard
• The mission will travel farther from the planet than anyone since the Apollo moon landings, passing through regions of intense radiation and risking bombardment from space debris

2. What are some of the key objectives and technologies being tested on the Polaris Dawn mission?

• Testing new spacesuit designs for the spacewalk
• Attempting to send communications via laser pulses between the Crew Dragon and SpaceX's Starlink satellites, instead of radio signals
• Conducting around 40 experiments, including obtaining magnetic resonance images of the astronauts' brains and attempting to take X-ray images without an X-ray machine

3. What are some of the risks and challenges associated with the Polaris Dawn mission?

• Passing through the South Atlantic Anomaly, a weak spot in the Earth's magnetic field that allows high-energy charged particles to come closer to the surface
• Receiving a radiation dose equivalent to 3 months on the International Space Station in just a few hours
• Potential bombardment from small space rocks and human-made debris that could puncture the spacecraft
• Challenges in coordinating the spacewalk and working as an effective crew

[02] Postponement of Launch

1. Why were the initial launch attempts on Wednesday and Thursday postponed? The launch attempts were postponed due to concerns about weather conditions in the areas where the returning spacecraft would splash down.

2. What other delay had previously occurred? There was an earlier delay so SpaceX could investigate a helium leak in the umbilical line that provides helium to the rocket.