SpaceX Polaris makes history: ‘Earth sure looks like a perfect world’, says Jared Isaacman after 1st civilian spacewalk

livemint.com:

Fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman led the mission, which was launched on Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The four-member crew of the Dragon spacecraft adjusted to an orbit with a high of 700 kilometres. Pure oxygen started flowing into their suits on Thursday morning.

This marked the official start of the extravehicular activity (EVA) at 1012 GMT, according to a report by AFP. Sometime later, Isaacman opened the hatch and climbed by gripping the hand and footholds of a structure known as ‘Skywalker,’ from where he saw the breathtaking view of the Earth.“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world," Isaacman said.This is another milestone for Elon Musk-founded SpaceX.“Today's success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and NASA's long-term goal to build a vibrant US space economy," NASA chief Bill Nelson posted on X.

Before opening the hatch, the crew had to go through a ‘prebreathe’ procedure in order to remove nitrogen from bloodstream to avoid decompression sickness.Isaacman and crewmate Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer, spent a few minutes each performing mobility tests on SpaceX's next-generation suits that boast heads-up displays, helmet cameras and enhanced joint mobility systems, before returning inside.Extravehicular activity ended officially after an hour and 46 minutes, following cabin re-pressurisation. As the Dragon doesn't have an airlock, the entire crew was exposed to space vacuum.