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Polaris Dawn Crew Breaks NASA Gemini 11’s 58-Year Old Orbital Record With SpaceX Dragon
The Polaris Dawn crew has surpassed NASA’s 1966 Gemini 11 record by reaching a new altitude of 1400 kilometres.
Photo Credit: X/SpaceX
SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience raised its apogee to 1,400.7 km on September 10 during Polaris Dawn mission
Highlights
- Polaris Dawn crew sets new 1400 km altitude record
- Crew breaks Gemini 11 record from 1966
- SpaceX Dragon passes through Van Allen belt
Polaris Dawn, a private space mission has set a new record for the highest orbit reached by humans since NASA’s Apollo programme. On 10th September 2024, the four-member Polaris Dawn crew aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Resilience achieved an apogee of 1,400.7 kilometres. This surpasses the 1966 Gemini 11 mission’s altitude of 1,373 kilometres, marking the furthest distance travelled by humans since the last lunar landing over 50 years ago. After taking off from Florida at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT), the spacecraft orbited Earth eight times before reaching its highest point.
A Historic Feat
The crew, led by billionaire and Polaris Dawn mission commander Jared Isaacman, includes pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Isaacman highlighted that Gillis and Menon have now set a record as the women who have travelled the furthest from Earth. The crew’s mission aimed to gather data on the effects of space conditions on human health and spacecraft systems, venturing through sections of the Van Allen radiation belt, an area where charged particles accumulate.
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Polaris Dawn and Dragon at 1,400 km above Earth – the farthest humans have traveled since the Apollo program over 50 years ago pic.twitter.com/rRDeD1dY1e
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 11, 2024
Scientific Purpose
The altitude record was set to help SpaceX further its research in preparation for future deep space missions. By exposing the Resilience spacecraft to different levels of radiation, scientists aim to better understand the impacts on both the human body and modern spacecraft technology.
The mission also tests how touchscreens and digital displays perform under such conditions, which has never been done before at this altitude.
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Honouring Past Achievements
As a tribute to NASA's Gemini 11 astronauts, Charles “Pete” Conrad and Richard “Dick” Gordon, the Polaris Dawn crew carried a medallion similar to the Gemini 11 patch. The medallion was auctioned to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, continuing the legacy of space exploration for the greater good.