Billionaire Jared Isaacman is preparing for a historic civilian spacewalk aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. In an interview with CNBC, he shared his concerns about the experience, saying that when he embarks on his extravehicular activities (EVA), he’ll be surrounded by death.
Isaacman and his three-person crew have been training extensively to handle this intense scenario, which they’re approaching as their August 26 launch date nears. He compared the sensation of being in space to training in a vacuum chamber, where participants feel the pressure changes, temperature changes, and psychological stressors of being in a harsh environment.
This sentiment isn’t unique to Isaacman, as even William Shatner, who went on a private trip to low-Earth orbit in 2021, wrote about feeling dread instead of awe when looking at space. According to his memoir, Shatner saw only death when gazing into the void.
While Isaacman’s tone might not be as glum as Shatner’s, it’s interesting that he’s echoing similar concerns ahead of his second spaceflight.
Source: https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-polaris-dawn-surrounded-death