SpaceX Polaris crew scales 3 volcanos in a week to prepare for space mission; pics surface

The Polaris Dawn crew, which will embark on a journey to outer space later this year, finished another leg of its training involving high-altitude mountaineering. Consisting of four members- Jared Isaacman, Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, and Sarah Gillis- the Dawn team scaled three volcanos and mountains in Ecuador to strengthen their physical and mental endurance. The official Twitter handle of the Polaris Program shared stunning visuals of the training session that lasted from May 26 to June 1. 

The latest session was to provide the Polaris Dawn crew with a team-building opportunity, something that would help the future astronauts during their first-ever spacewalk and handling the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The forthcoming mission, which is targetted to launch in the fourth quarter of 2022, falls under the Polaris Program which was announced by billionaire entrepreneur Isaacman in February this year and will be conducted by SpaceX. 

The Polaris mission team also shared a video shot at 19,347 feet, when Isaacman and his crewmates were at the summit of Ecuador's Cotopaxi volcano. Isaacman, who will serve as the mission commander, revealed that the team scaled the mountains in four nights and completed all training objectives. "We are one step closer to the next challenge", he wrote in a tweet.

SpaceX to launch astronauts into highest-ever orbit

The Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned spaceflights and will see the astronauts launch to the highest-ever Earth orbit. During Polaris Dawn, the astronauts will spend five days in orbit and test several new technologies including the first Starlink laser-based communications in space. Interestingly, the crew will also conduct the first-ever private spacewalk donning the newly made SpaceX suits. 

The Polaris Program has been named after a three-star constellation of the same name and has an objective to advance human spaceflight capabilities. The programme will also raise funds and awareness for important causes on Earth. The Polaris Dawn, for instance, would raise funds for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital just like the Inspiration4 mission, which was also commanded by Isaacman last September.