 Jared Isaacman emerges from the Crew Dragon hatch on the first commercial spacewalk on Sept. 12 during the Polaris Dawn mission. (credit: SpaceX) |
by Ajey Lele
Monday, September 16, 2024
First frame: Spacewalk and commercial success
Walking in space is a dream. Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov experienced a process of “living a dream” for about 12 minutes when he performed a spacewalk on March 18, 1965. Since then, several hundred humans have performed spacewalks and 12 individuals have also walked on the lunar surface. Nearly six decades after the first spacewalk, on September 12, two private astronauts performed the first commercial spacewalk in history. This happened during SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission. This mission is a collaboration between SpaceX and Jared Isaacman, an American billionaire businessman. Isaacman performed the spacewalk with Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer.
| This mission has broken the myth that only astronauts on state-sponsored space missions can perform spacewalks. |
Isaacman, 41, is a qualified pilot and is known to be qualified to fly several military jet aircraft. He holds a world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light aircraft. In September 2021, he traveled to space as commander of the Inspiration4 mission, also piloted by SpaceX. This was the first all-civilian space flight into orbit. This indicates that apart from his finances, he also had other essential qualifications to undertake such a challenging mission. Few specific details are known about his training process to perform a spacewalk.
The International Space Station (ISS) was established in 2000 and since then astronauts and cosmonauts have conducted around 270 spacewalks (extravehicular activities or EVAs) on the station. So far, Chinese taikonauts have successfully conducted 16 spacewalks. The first Chinese spacewalk, which lasted about 19 minutes, was conducted on September 27, 2008 during the Shenzhou-7 mission.
The International Space Station and Tiangong space station are at an altitude of about 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface. However, the Dragon capsule was at an altitude of up to 740 kilometers. The first spacewalk at such altitudes may have posed different challenges, such as exposure to radiation.
An important goal of the Polaris Dawn mission was to test and learn more about the requirements of advanced spacesuits. These new versions of spacesuits would play a major role in deciding the requirements of the suits needed to travel to and remain on the Moon and Mars. The successful operation further reinforces the fact that space travel is no longer the exclusive domain of professional astronauts working in government space agencies such as NASA.
This mission has disproved the myth that only astronauts on state-funded space missions can perform spacewalks. Over the past few years, private space travel has become a reality and it now seems that private individuals can also perform spacewalks if they meet certain financial, physical and training requirements necessary for such missions.
It is important to celebrate the success of Jared Isaacman and his crew. This should not be seen only through the narrow prism of commercial success, but there could be some important scientific findings for future space travel, which could be useful for both government and private space missions.
Second picture: Mount Everest and copious commercialization
Mount Everest, with an altitude of 8,848.86 meters above sea level, is the highest mountain on Earth above sea level. It is located in the Himalayan mountain range and the border between China and Nepal runs through its highest point. Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first climbers to scale this highest mountain in the world on May 29, 1953. Conquering this highest peak requires physical and mental strength and a considerable amount of mountaineering experience. This expedition is expensive and, according to some estimates, could cost around $75,000. There are two main climbing routes to Mount Everest, one from the southeast ridge from Nepal and another from the north ridge from Tibet. So far, nearly 7,000 people have climbed Mount Everest and reached the summit. More than 330 climbers have died during expeditions to Mount Everest and nearly 200 bodies remain on the mountain, as their recovery back to the foothills is impossible.
Richard Bass, an American businessman and mountaineer, conducted a guided expedition to Mount Everest in 1985 and with that began the era of commercialization of Everest summitry. There is a long history of how this commercialization process has evolved, mostly in the last three to four decades. It contributes significantly to tourism revenue in Nepal.
For some years now, many climbers have been hiring a “full service package.” Service companies offer everything from assistance in obtaining permits to medical facilities, connecting with a trained and experienced mountain guide, porter services, and catering for food needs. Some of these packages have been known to cost around $200,000. In the end, it all depends on the nature of the services hired by a group or individual.
It is becoming increasingly clear that in some cases, rather than a spirit of adventure and a love of exploring nature, travel has become an exhibitionist attitude, essentially for social media consumption. In most cases, the attitude has been: “since I have money, I can even go to Everest!” These are rather millionaires and billionaires in search of new thrills.
Today, about 600 people reach the summit of Everest every season. Along with them, there are also porters and guides. In addition, almost 500 people visit Everest Base Camp every day. On the way to the summit, the climber meets many “fellow travelers.” They are forced to walk in single file and sometimes it is difficult to stand on the summit of Everest due to the overcrowding. Over the years, the entire region in general and Everest in particular are becoming increasingly polluted. In 1991, a Pollution Control Committee was established; however, its efforts seem to be insufficient, mainly due to the load of so many people trying to reach the summit in a very short period of time.
| The experiences of the commercialization of Mount Everest and the interest in Antarctic resources could provide lessons for space. |
Everest is currently accumulating a huge amount of garbage, which pollutes the entire region and the local watershed. According to some estimates, each person is responsible for generating around eight kilograms of garbage, most of which is left on the mountain. From torn tents to abandoned food containers and packages, and from empty oxygen cylinders to broken mountaineering equipment and human waste, many things litter the mountaintops on a regular basis. Moreover, extremely cold temperatures ensure that no decomposition of the garbage occurs. Every new snowfall covers the garbage, which eventually leads to the accumulation of piles of garbage.
Third frame: Antarctica, resources are not for sale
The Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961 and, according to its provisions, the Antarctic continent must remain a demilitarized zone and be reserved solely for scientific research. There may be no military bases there and nuclear testing and the dumping of radioactive waste are prohibited. Mining in Antarctica is prohibited indefinitely by the Protocol on Environmental Protection (Madrid Protocol, 1998).
There are overlapping claims to territory on this continent by a few states, however, the treaty arguably survived as after all these years the process has remained dynamic with debates and the advancement of some additional conventions and other legal protocols.
Since 1960, the field of technology has evolved significantly and has made Antarctica much more accessible. More and more states are showing interest in Antarctic affairs. In the area of fishing and minerals, some states are doing some further research to understand whether they can somehow manage their search for resources by investing in this region, possibly by exploiting some loopholes in treaty mechanisms. It is important to note that any mining activity will disturb the ecological balance of the Antarctic region.
Frame Four: Implicitly Connecting the Dots
The success of the Polaris Dawn mission is worth celebrating. In recent years, the private sector has made a great leap forward in the space field. This recent achievement could open the door for it to play a major role in various manned space programmes. States are set to increase their reliance on the private sector in undertaking various ambitious space projects. The private sector could play an important role in orbital servicing, space situational awareness, space debris removal technologies and the development of space traffic management structures. They have already made some significant investments in missions to the Moon and Mars. Commercialisation of spacewalks could become a reality in the near future and spacewalk opportunities would also be offered to space tourists.
The experiences of the commercialization of Mount Everest and the interest in Antarctic resources could offer lessons for space. Space is an inherently inhospitable and dangerous environment, and the same is true for the Himalayan mountain ranges and, in particular, the site of Mount Everest. However, the problems associated with litter on Everest and debris in space are not comparable. However, there could be some indirect lessons from the Everest experience. On the other hand, the Antarctic experience communicates the advantages of treaty mechanisms. Currently, the world has no plan regarding the management of planetary resources. Unfortunately, as far as space security is concerned, the possibility of major States agreeing on any legally binding, rules-based mechanism seems unlikely. It is now necessary to understand the aspects of space security in relation to the growth that is taking place in the private space sector. For the most part, this growth remains unchecked from a security perspective. It is said that no adequate theory of space power has been developed so far. However, that should not prevent us from learning from the environment and the history of Mount Everest should be seen in that context.
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