Polaris Dawn Crew returns to Florida coast for the first time since splashdown

Earlier on Tuesday, the Polaris Dawn Crew returned to Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for the first time since their splash down off the Florida Coast Sunday.

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Their commercial space mission was led by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman and was launched by SpaceX.

During their five-day mission, the Polaris Dawn crew reached a higher altitude than any human has traveled since the Apollo Program.

The spacewalk conducted by mission commander Jared Isaac and mission specialist Sarah Gillis was another first for a commercial crew.

Read: SpaceX launches European satellite from Florida’s Space Coast

Mission specialist Anna Menon and pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet remained in the Crew Dragon.

“As soon as the hatch was cracked, we all immediately felt the chill,” Gills said.

The crew also orbited through portions of the Van Allen radiation belts.

Read: Polaris Dawn completes first private space walk

“The unbelievable radiation that exists in the Van Allen radiation belt, which is a reality you’ll have to travel through on the way to the moon or Mars,” Issacman said.

Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions launched in the private Polaris Program.

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