SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Final Day Updates

Polaris Dawn mission has completed day 5 in orbit and the crew is now preparing to return to Earth with a SpaceX Dragon splashdown. Prior to the final milestone, the crew conducted a new Starlink satellite internet test.

Here are the final flight day updates.

The final day to further conduct scientific goals to connect with one of their training teams, and catch up with the SpaceX family.

The two scientific studies from this day are identifying and understanding the risk of kidney stone formation while living in microgravity developing and validating CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) procedures aboard the Dragon spacecraft.

On this day, the crew keeps testing Starlink, including a 40+ minute video call with SpaceX teams on Earth. The test was conducted while Dragon orbited across the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Cape of Good Hope. The plaser in Dragon’s trunk and the partner Starlink satellite for the event maintained their laser link during 16 Draco thruster firings.

The crew also connected with members of the Air Force who helped train them for a week of solo skydiving at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

Before settling in for their last sleep period of the mission, the crew took some time to connect with their families and began preparing Dragon’s cabin for reentry and splashdown.

Next, the Dragon and Polaris Dawn crew will return to Earth and splash down off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida on Friday, September 15 at 3:36 a.m. ET.

(source)