SpaceX
SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Day 2 Updates: Starlink Test, Scientific Research and EVA Prep
Polaris Dawn has successfully completed its day 2 in Space and the human crew inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has performed some activities prior to tomorrow’s spacewalk.
Note: By the end of Day 2, Dragon is orbiting in a lower orbit compared to the 1,400km achieved in the beginning.
Here are the day 2 updates from the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission:
After completing six orbits of Earth at this altitude, Dragon performed a series of descent burns to reach an orbit of 190 x 700 km for Thursday’s spacewalk. It simultaneously continues to lower its interior pressure to match the cabin environment closer to the conditions required for the EVA (extravehicular activity).
The crew also spent a few hours demonstrating the suit’s pressurized mobility, verifying positions and accessibility in microgravity while preparing the cabin for the EVA.
In addition to EVA prep, the crew conducted a series of activities in orbit, including time dedicated to science and research. The crew focused on monitoring initial changes to eyesight and ocular health, studying how fluid shifts and exposure to microgravity affect blood flow, and assessing how medications are processed by the body while in orbit.
The entire crew met with representatives from Folds of Honor to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while providing services to the US. Folds of Honor is an organization that supports educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled military service members and first responders.
Anna then read her book, Kisses from Space, to a group of St. Jude patients and her family, followed by a Q&A session. Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East joined the crew via video transmission to host the book reading.
Jared, Kidd, Sarah, and Anna concluded their day with individual family calls conducted over Starlink and preparing a special message for fans later in the mission before settling in for a good night’s sleep ahead of tomorrow’s world-first commercial spacewalk.
The crew will attempt a spacewalk from Dragon on Thursday, September 12 at 2:23 a.m. ET. There’s also a backup opportunity on Friday, September 13 at the same attempt window. You can check more details below.
(Source)