The Polaris Dawn crew safely returned to Earth early Sunday morning, bringing the historic privately funded mission to a close. The Dragon capsule carrying the mission's four astronauts ' Jared Isaacman, Scott 'Kidd' Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon ' splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico around 3:30AM ET.Splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth, @rookisaacman, @kiddpoteet, @Gillis_SarahE, @annawmenon pic.twitter.com/nILpMQh2sR' SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2024On Thursday, Isaacman and Gillis completed the first commercial spacewalk, each taking a turn to exit the craft and perform a series of spacesuit mobility tests. And with this mission, Gillis and Menon have now traveled farther from Earth than any women before. Polaris reached a peak altitude of about 870 miles, which is also the farthest any humans have ventured since the Apollo program.The crew also performed a number of science experiments, and was able to complete a 40-minute video call to Earth and send files in a major test for Starlink's space communications capabilities. That included a video recorded during the mission of Gillis, an engineer and violinist, playing the violin in space. 'A new era of commercial spaceflight dawns, with much more to come,' Polaris posted on X Sunday morning.HARMONY OF RESILIENCE: Recorded in space and sent to Earth via @SpaceX's @Starlink constellation, Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist @Gillis_SarahE invites you to enjoy this music moment in support of @StJude & @ElSistemaUSA ' https://t.co/My8cUwAWzg pic.twitter.com/OoxTllCZNP' Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 13, 2024This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-polaris-dawn-crew-is-back-on-earth-after-a-historic-mission-142028997.html'src=rss
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