SPACE – One small step for man, one giant leap for Elon Musk. His company SpaceX made history this Thursday, September 12, by carrying out the very first private spacewalk. Never before had non-professional astronauts ventured out of a ship, into the vacuum of space. A risky operation, broadcast live, as you can see in the videos below.
Polaris Dawn, SpaceX’s first private spacewalk, successfully lifts off
Billionaire Jared Isaacman, 41, who initiated the mission called Polaris Dawn, was the first to briefly exit the Dragon capsule when the hatch was opened. The second to exit was Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX employee.
Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis do not float untethered in space, but use a structure called Skywalker, placed on the front of the capsule and composed of bars, to hold on and perform movements. The suits are connected by cords to the ship to provide them with oxygen in particular.
The two astronauts are scheduled to go out in turns, each lasting 15 to 20 minutes. The walk is expected to last about two hours – much less than the walks by government agency astronauts outside the ISS, where they also perform highly technical tasks.
700 km above the Earth
The spacewalk takes place at an altitude of about 700 km above Earth. In comparison, the International Space Station (ISS) operates at an altitude of about 400 km.
The other two members of the mission, pilot Scott Poteet and fellow SpaceX employee Anna Menon, remain aboard the Dragon capsule to ensure that everything goes as planned. The spacecraft does not have an airlock, so the entire crew is exposed to the vacuum of space once the hatch is opened.
The aim of the operation is to test the very first suits of Elon Musk’s company, intended for space, white and with a futuristic look.
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