Resilience splashes down safely, ending Polaris Dawn commercial manned orbital mission
SpaceX’s Resilience capsule has just splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico, ending the five-day Polaris Dawn private manned orbital mission, commanded by billionaire and jet pilot Jared Isaacman.
As of posting the capsule is still in the water with divers and boats on the way.
This completes the first mission in Isaacman’s planned three mission Polaris program. It was a complete success, doing a great deal of medical research on the effects of high orbit radiation on the human body as well as the first private spacewalk using SpaceX’s first EVA spacesuits. For Isaacman’s next mission he has already proposed doing a Hubble repair mission. NASA has had mixed feelings about this idea, but after this success it will be interesting if that attitude changes.
I must comment that the coverage by SpaceX employees on this mission was somewhat annoying. For the first time, they spent a lot of time giggling and focusing on PR and how “cool” and “incredible” and “wonderful” everything was, from amusing new decals in the capsule to the spacewalk to Sarah Gillis’ violin performance.
All of this was as great as they kept saying, which is why they didn’t need to say it, over and over and over and over and over again. It would have been better if they had done what SpaceX has generally done on previous broadcasts and missions, focused on describing the technical aspects and then staying silent otherwise. Gushing like this is more like a NASA or Blue Origin broadcast, and does not do SpaceX credit.
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SpaceX’s Resilience capsule has just splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico, ending the five-day Polaris Dawn private manned orbital mission, commanded by billionaire and jet pilot Jared Isaacman.
As of posting the capsule is still in the water with divers and boats on the way.
This completes the first mission in Isaacman’s planned three mission Polaris program. It was a complete success, doing a great deal of medical research on the effects of high orbit radiation on the human body as well as the first private spacewalk using SpaceX’s first EVA spacesuits. For Isaacman’s next mission he has already proposed doing a Hubble repair mission. NASA has had mixed feelings about this idea, but after this success it will be interesting if that attitude changes.
I must comment that the coverage by SpaceX employees on this mission was somewhat annoying. For the first time, they spent a lot of time giggling and focusing on PR and how “cool” and “incredible” and “wonderful” everything was, from amusing new decals in the capsule to the spacewalk to Sarah Gillis’ violin performance.
All of this was as great as they kept saying, which is why they didn’t need to say it, over and over and over and over and over again. It would have been better if they had done what SpaceX has generally done on previous broadcasts and missions, focused on describing the technical aspects and then staying silent otherwise. Gushing like this is more like a NASA or Blue Origin broadcast, and does not do SpaceX credit.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Agreed.
Were this an aircraft—it would be called a ditching…the same pararescue jumpers needed. Not fun.
Time for cheering when you are back on terra firma
…as well as the first private spacesuit
You meant “spacewalk,” not “spacesuit,” right?
For the first time, they spent a lot of time giggling and focusing on PR and how “cool” and “incredible” and “wonderful” everything was, from amusing new decals in the capsule to the spacewalk to Sarah Gillis’ violin performance.
What they needed was more John Insprucker. You can never have enough John Insprucker.
Great recap of a great mission. Ad astra.
I have yet to find a good explanation of the decision to land near Dry Tortuga, a location that was never previously even mentioned as a landing site.
Ray,
These were the best answers to your question I saw posted.
From the SpaceX Twitter account:
“SpaceX teams recently selected this new splashdown location after nearly two weeks of launch delays due to unfavorable weather forecasts for each of Dragon’s seven return sites off the coast of Florida.
“ Dry Tortugas adds greater geographic diversity for Dragon’s return and helps increase the odds of having acceptable return weather forecasts for missions such as Polaris Dawn.”
” You can never have enough John Insprucker.”
I would second that motion!
Polaris missions are doing the real envelope pushing that NASA could do, but won’t, because it’s not adding jobs. Great work by the entire team, it was fun to follow along.
The art of an intelligent, well-prepared broadcast seems to be very difficult these days. Not sure what’s driving it. SpaceX has generally done a good job, and while they were cute to use their regular employees as commentators in earlier missions, some of those folks are getting a little jaded, so maybe time for some fresh talent.
On the other hand, NASA broadcasts are insufferably long-winded and targeted at 3rd graders.
Richard M: Yup. Now fixed. Thank you.
On a completely different subject, you never answered my email about those hateful commenters at the NYTimes. Did you get it?
Ray Van Dune: During the broadcast, they explained that the weather issues prior to launch caused the landing teams to search for more potential splashdown locations to give them more options, thus increasing their ability to launch.
Jeff Wright,
“Ditching?” Like every float plane ever built, from small Alaskan back-country brush-hoppers to the Martin Mars, Crew Dragon was built, from the get-go, to make water landings. There were certainly swimmers in attendance, but they were not there to do any “rescuing,” just to do the at-sea equivalent of what airport employees do on land near boarding gates every day for conventional aircraft.
ZimmerBob,
I didn’t find Kate and Jessie’s occasional gushy comments a problem. This was the first mission on which two of their fellow SpaceX-ers were on the crew manifest. And, like Kate and Jessie, both were female engineers in the same age and employment seniority bracket as themselves. Both commentators were pretty obviously a bit giddy with the growing possibility that they, personally, might be part of the flight crew of some none-too-distant-future SpaceX mission. I, for one, hope both get such an opportunity. Their obviously genuine delight was in no way comparable to the equally obviously manufactured chirpiness of NASA Public Affairs types – both male and female – which, I agree, has much in common with nails scraped across a chalkboard.
Richard M,
Agree about John “Norminal” Insprucker. But the launch, spacewalk and splashdown webcasts were conducted well outside of normal work hours. Insprucker is no spring chicken anymore and doubtless needs his sleep.
EagleDick: I can understand completely the joy that Kate and Jessie felt, and have no problem with them expressing it. What I found annoying was that they did it over and over and over and over again. After awhile it gets very old for a viewer, and actually detracts from that joy.
Kate Tice could read the Topeka phone book aloud and I would be completely entranced. Of course, that assumes there is still a Topeka phone book!
Bob, I finally found your email. I’ll do more digging tonight.
While I’m here, I think it worth flagging Eric Berger’s new article today on Polaris Dawn. In his conclusion, he addresses the sentiment that this was just a “joyride for a billionaire.” I think people here will appreciate it.
_______
“I understand this viewpoint, but I do not share it.
“The reality is that Isaacman and his hand-picked crew, which included two SpaceX engineers who will take their learnings back to design spacecraft and other vehicles at the company, trained hard for this mission over the better part of two years. In flying such a daring profile to a high altitude through potential conjunctions with thousands of satellites; and then venting their cabin to perform a spacewalk, each of the crew members assumed high risks.
“For its Crew Dragon missions that fly to and from the International Space Station, NASA has an acceptable “loss-of-crew” probability of 1-in-270. But in those spaceflights the crew spends significantly less time inside Dragon, and flies to a much lower and safer altitude. They do not conduct spacewalks out of Dragon. The crew of Polaris Dawn, therefore, assumed non-trivial dangers in undertaking this spaceflight. These risks assumed were measured rather than reckless.
“So why? Why take such risks? Because the final frontier, after nearly seven decades of spaceflight, remains largely unexplored. If it is human destiny to one day expand to other worlds, and eventually other stars, we’re going to need to do so with more than few government astronauts making short sorties. To open space there must be lower cost access and commercial potential.
“With his inventive and daring Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman has taken a step toward such a future, by pushing forward the performance of Dragon, and accelerating SpaceX’s timeline to develop low-cost spacesuits. Certainly, Isaacman had a blast. But it was for a very good cause. He was lucky enough to go first, but through his actions, he aims to blaze a trail for multitudes to follow.”
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/after-five-demanding-days-in-space-polaris-dawn-splashes-down-safely/
Richard M: Note that I replied to you with some important info. If you didn’t see it check your spam file.
To Mr. Eagleson
A float-plane can always take back off if in working order.
I am surprised some Green didn’t fuss about the crew fiddling while the planet burned—(I want royalties for that one, Gary).
As for me, I think what was played on that violin was actually The Godfather theme dedicated to Starliner…