Polaris Dawn crew completes training for spaceflight

The Polaris Dawn crew has completed the training and is certified for Falcon 9 spaceflight destined for liftoff no earlier than August 26.

Polaris Dawn mission will fly from Florida using a Falcon 9 rocket and spend up to five days in orbit. Approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth, the crew will attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk.

The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400-500 km above Earth’s atmosphere.

The passengers will be the first to use SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, upgraded from the current intravehicular (IVA) suit.

The suit will support the Polaris Dawn in the space with a new helmet heads-up display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk.

It will test Starlink laser-based communications in space to provide data for future space communications systems necessary for missions for the moon and beyond.

The crew will conduct scientific research to advance human health on Earth and on long-duration spaceflights. SpaceX and Polaris Dawn will collaborate with the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH). BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder, Space Technologies Lab at Ambry Riddle Aeronautical University, Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

(source)