In the end, they have succeeded. Polaris Dawn has begun its journey and is on its way to making history. In fact, it already has. They have managed to go further than expected and have exceeded the distance between the International Space Station and Earth by an exaggerated amount. But now they have to complete the rest of their mission and, of course, survive all the risks that surround them.
The four civilian astronauts on the Polaris Dawn mission have traveled farther into space than anyone has in half a century. In their own way, they are heroes, brave souls who are blazing a trail toward a future where space tourism is a reality. If all goes well, they will also be the first to take a spacewalk without official astronaut certification. It will be a huge milestone.
Five days full of dangers
It’s going to be an intense journey. After several delays and it seemed that the mission would never begin, the Crew Dragon crew has flown further than imaginable. But SpaceX has warned that they are currently on a journey through the Van Allen Belts, one of the most radioactive areas in known space. The volume of radiation present is so severe that contact with the radiation could result in a person dying in a period of just eight hours. This makes the trip one of the most risky missions ever undertaken, but also one that could have very satisfactory results for its protagonists.
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Watch live as Falcon 9 launches the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew on a multi-day mission orbiting Earth https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr
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However, as the company says, radiation will not be the only danger they will have to face. The main reason for this is that the ship is travelling along a route that is full of challenges and that could mean that the ship may run into difficulties. Elon Musk himself has published a message where he says that, in his calculations, there is no room for error. Because even the smallest mistake could be lethal.
The main problem with this is that the spacecraft will be travelling through a sea of ​​space debris, and will also be travelling in orbital latitudes where it will cross paths with 10,000 satellites. All of this represents a constant problem and a risk for the members of the mission.
The space walk will be very dangerous
As you can imagine, SpaceX has left no detail to chance. But Elon Musk’s company knows well that this first spacewalk by civilian astronauts has the potential to be historic. It would open up a huge range of possibilities and possibly lead to many people beginning to show interest in living the same experience.
One of the problems they will face is in the very design of the SpaceX craft. It does not have an airlock, which has certain advantages and is key to its design. But at the same time, it means that astronauts cannot prepare in the same way as in other space vehicles. The most immediate result of this will be that the Crew Dragon members will be exposed to the vacuum of space for a period of two hours. Considering the circumstances, the tension, the nerves, the lack of as thorough a preparation as astronauts, and other factors, it cannot be said that it will not have an impact.
The crew members have several tasks to carry out on their journey. For example, they must take note of the effects on their bodies due to close contact with the Van Allen belts. As we said, this is a really radioactive area and it is believed that the effect on the crew members will be noticeable. They must also analyze any dizziness or other problems they may suffer, as well as any other information that may be of interest to future travelers.
Luckily, at least, SpaceX has determined that Polaris Dawn will not breach the distance barriers achieved by the Apollo 13 crew on their trip to the Moon. They are not taking any risks in this regard and, at the very least, are reducing potential surprises in a convenient way. That said, we do know that the Polaris Dawn crew will take part in the spacewalk on Thursday at around 08:30. If they encounter any problems, they will delay the walk until Friday at the same time. As usual, to keep up to date with how the spacewalk goes, it is best to follow the SpaceX website or the X account of the space company.
