Sounds like things are going well!
Since the update, Dragon performed the eight-minute burn to raise the apogee to 1400 km. (video)
Looking forward to day 2.
Polaris Dawn Flight Day 1 Update
Polaris Dawn Flight Day 1 Update: https://x.com/PolarisProgram/status/1833648070011109784
>The Polaris Dawn crew completed their first day on-orbit, also known as Flight Day 1. After a successful launch by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:23 a.m. ET, the crew took off their spacesuits and began their multi-day mission. > >Shortly after liftoff, the crew began a two-day pre-breathe protocol in preparation for their anticipated spacewalk on Thursday, September 12 (Flight Day 3). During this time, Dragon’s pressure slowly lowers while oxygen levels inside the cabin increase, helping purge nitrogen from the crew’s bloodstreams. This will help lower the risk of decompression sickness (DCS) during all spacewalk operations. > >About two hours into Flight Day 1, the crew enjoyed their first on-orbit meals before engaging in the mission’s first science and research block and testing Starlink, which lasted about 3.5 hours. > >Dragon made its first pass through the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), a region where Earth’s magnetic field is weaker, allowing more high-energy particles from space to penetrate closer to Earth. Mission control operators and the crew worked closely to monitor and respond to the vehicle’s systems across all high-apogee phases of flight, particularly through the SAA region. > >Mid-day, the crew settled in for their first sleep period in space, during which Dragon will perform its first apogee raising burn. Orbiting Earth higher than any humans in over 50 years, the crew will rest for about eight hours ahead of a busy day on Flight Day 2. > >Most excitingly, during its first orbit, Dragon reached an apogee of approximately 1,216 kilometers, making Polaris Dawn the highest Dragon mission flown to date. Following a healthy systems checkout, the crew and mission control will monitor the spacecraft ahead of the vehicle raising itself to an elliptical orbit of 190 x 1,400 kilometers at the start of Flight Day 2.
Nominal dehumidifier activation and service section Draco checkouts. Nosecone opening in progress.
Webcast coverage ending. Spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday September 12th.
M-vac shutdown, norminal orbit insertion, and stage 1 landing confirmed!
and then spent the rest of his life
You are technically correct, the best kind of correct.
It's been a while. I don't think Soyuz and Shenzhou have ever supported EVAs. The Space Shuttle did, but it had an airlock. The last spaceship depressurization for a spacewalk might not have been since the Gemini days back in the '60s.
Edit: Shenzhou 7 did include a spacewalk, but it seems like they used the orbital module as a pseudo-airlock, and never depressurized the descent module. Wikipedia has a nice list of spacewalks.
Based on recent weather radar measurements, they are now targeting a new T-0 of 09:23:49 UTC.
Suit leak checks and comms checks are complete, Dragon side hatch has been closed.
Starbase activities (2024-09-09):
- Sep 8th cryo delivery update.
- Sep 9th is a wet day at Starbase. (Gomez, Cooper_Hime, Garza)
- Build site video tour, including an interesting delivery, plausibly an HLS airlock prototype article. (ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX 3, TheSpaceEngineer 1, TheSpaceEngineer 2)
- Massey's: Test Tank 16 undergoes testing.
SpaceX webcast is live! Kate Tice, Jessie Anderson, Atticus Vadera, and JOHN INSPRUCKER are hosting.
https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1833306067238862941
Falcon 9 and Dragon are ready for flight. Weather is 40% favorable for liftoff and the webcast goes live ~3.5 hours ahead of launch
Polaris Dawn Launch Thread!
Polaris Dawn!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-09-10, 09:23 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-09-10, 05:23 (EDT) | | Mission | Polaris Dawn | | Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1083-4 | | Landing site | Just Read the Instructions | | Dragon | Resilience C207-3 | | Commander | Jared Isaacman | | Pilot | Scott Poteet | | Mission Specialist | Sarah Gillis | | Mission Specialist | Anna Menon |
Webcasts
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6et8-MVR3Qg | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzVVSxAXicw | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP8fbz_sVfU | Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWOYQ5Dto7c | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAs5qzu9VwQ | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1833358277805039800 | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDCcRWoGNJs
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 17th launch from LC-39A this year
☑️ 28 days, 21:01:00 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 91st landing on JRTI
☑️ 18th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch if successful
☑️ 87th Falcon 9 launch this year, 373rd Falcon 9 launch overall
☑️ 347th Falcon booster landing if successful, 358th Falcon recovery attempt
☑️ 88th SpaceX mission this year, 388th overall (excluding Starship hops)
☑️ 90th SpaceX launch this year, 401st overall (including Starship hops)
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Mission info
> Polaris Dawn is a crew mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft. The Polaris Dawn crew (Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Scott Poteet, and Mission Specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon) will spend up to five days in orbit, flying higher than any Dragon mission to date and will attempt to reach the highest Earth orbit flown since the Apollo program. The Polaris Dawn crew will support scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflight, be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, and will attempt the first spacewalk from a Dragon Spacecraft.
flexible for the division remain and leap years
They've already got a plan for this. 13 months, each with 28 days (four weeks), gives us 364 days. New Years Day and Leap Year Day are added as extra holidays which are outside of the named day/month system.
Does It Make Sense To Put Data Centers In Space? Can They Really Cost Less To Operate?
TL;DW:
> Does It Make Sense To Put Data Centers In Space?
At some point in the future, yes.
> Can They Really Cost Less To Operate?
In theory, yes.
Scott expresses concerns that current startups have not adequately addressed some of the practical challenges, such as cooling.
The FAA is moving ahead with efforts to develop rules for the disposal of upper stages as another Centaur upper stage breaks apart in orbit.
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft successfully landed in New Mexico early Sept. 7, completing the Crew Flight Test mission but without any crew on board.
"We will review the data and determine the next steps for the program," says Boeing's Starliner manager.
"Besides, you're saying it wrong."
I still can't understand why Ralph Fiennes chose that particular line delivery.