Polaris Daybreak is on its method to ship one other crew into orbit to conduct the primary personal spacewalk

We have officially entered a new era of private spaceflight. Yesterday, the crew of Polaris Dawn, a privately funded and SpaceX-led mission, officially conducted the first private spacewalk, commonly known as a spacewalk. The spacewalk, like the rest of the mission so far, was a success. But it has drawn both critics and supporters. Let's take a look at the mission's goals and why some experts are against it.

There are two major “firsts” for the Polaris Dawn flight, which is the first in a series of private space missions that may include a third mission that will see SpaceX's giant Starship launch vehicle used by a crew for the first time. The most talked-about “first” of the mission was a spacewalk that mission commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis participated in yesterday morning, using SpaceX's newly developed, more mobile EVA suits, which are a clear departure from the previous, bulky suit variants.

Another first is that this crew is farther from Earth than any private space traveler has ever been before. In fact, they're farther from Earth than anyone has been since the Apollo missions in the 1960s and '70s. On their list of things to do so far from home is overseeing 36 scientific experiments, ranging from monitoring bone health to combating motion sickness during spaceflight.

Full video of the Polaris Dawn spacewalk.
Source: YouTube channel VideosfromSpace

But the mission has also drawn critics. Among the best-founded arguments are experts quoted in Al-Jazeera who claim that SpaceX may be violating a clause in the Outer Space Treaty that requires governments to be responsible for the health and safety of their missions in space, even if the mission is led by a non-governmental organization. NASA clearly did not ensure the mission's safety in space. But it did give approval for the rocket launch that got it there, especially since it launched from the agency's Kennedy Space Center.

Space policy experts argue that because this mission is entirely privately funded, it is already a violation of the Outer Space Treaty. They may be right, but an alternative interpretation is that the treaty, signed in early 1967, may no longer be relevant to the more modern world of private spaceflight.

A less convincing argument against the missions is the complaint that billionaires, including the mission commander, are simply squandering Earth's resources on their own pet projects. This argument is bolstered by the fact that the missions are backed by Doritos, which supplied a specially designed chip that prevents cheese dust from being spread all over the Dragon capsule that the astronauts use.

Fraser discusses the EVA suit used on the Polaris Dawn mission.

But it's also offset by the fact that the Mission donates a large portion of its revenue (admittedly some of which comes from merchandise sales) to St. Jude Children's Hospital to help children battling cancer. Whether you agree with the motivations behind the Mission or not, it seems like no one is excited about helping children with cancer.

And no one can take away from the mission's achievements so far. Most notably, the two female crew members – Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon – are now officially the women who have traveled the furthest from Earth. With the launch and spacewalk successful, the mission's final real test will be its return. Since Dragon has successfully returned to Earth dozens of times so far, there's a good chance that part will be successful too. And then humanity will have the opportunity to hope for or complain about Polaris' next step in private space travel.

Learn more:
Polaris Program – Polaris Dawn successfully launches into Earth orbit and begins its five-day mission
UT – Experience the first private spacewalk first hand
UT – Civilian astronauts will attempt a spacewalk from a Crew Dragon capsule
UT – NASA and SpaceX explore low-cost plan to boost Hubble

Cover image:
Image of the curvature of the Earth from the Polaris Dawn mission.
Credit – Polaris Program

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