Billionaire Jared Isaacman conducts first civilian spacewalk
The commander is out in space.
“This sure looks like a perfect world,” he says.
Key events
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First commercial spacewalk officially ends
The cabin has been repressurised and the crew are taking off their spacesuits.
They are doing some final cabin leak checks now.
Fun(ish) fact: Polaris Dawn’s spacewalk is happening at the same time a record 19 astronauts orbit Earth, after Russia’s Soyuz rocket ferried two cosmonauts and a US astronaut to the International Space Station.
This website constantly tracks how many humans are in space.
Many readers asking where the toilet in the capsule is.
There is a waste disposal system but I’m sorry to say there is only one big room.
The capsule is now being repressurised. If you are watching the video you can see the pressure level in the bottom left corner. That needs to rise to about 8 psi.
Capsule door closes after spacewalks
All crew are back inside.
That was momentarily worrying. The SpaceX ground operations just asked if the door handle had been “stowed in the ‘do not stow’” position.
Gillis confirms it has not.
Another reader has emailed:
A billionaire’s head popping out if a hatch for a few minutes doesn’t exactly qualify as a spacewalk now does it?
Technically, these are called EVAs (extravehicular activities) but widely known as spacewalks. Nobody ever really “walks” as they are in a microgravity situation.
Gillis is currently 550 km above the earth and moving at 26,000 kph.
Sarah Gillis exits capsule for spacewalk
Gillis is now making her way out of the top of the capsule.
Isaacman reenters capsule, Gillis prepares to exit
Isaacman is now back inside. Next it’s Sarah Gillis’s turn. She is a a senior engineer at SpaceX who has spent years working on missions from the ground. Now she is about to enter space herself.
He is now doing a “hands free” demonstration.
(Reminder for those who are panicking: he is tethered)
