Sarah Gillis is a SpaceX engineer who is scheduled to fly on Polaris Dawn, the inaugural mission of the Polaris Program. If the trip goes ahead as planned in 2023, she will become the youngest American to reach orbit.
In this episode, Ben and Sarah discuss how she and the crew are preparing for the first commercial EVA mentally and physically, whether Sarah will be taking her violin to space, and why she and the crew will be putting in contact lenses when they get to space.
What you will hear in this episode
Sarah's recent training
The EVA
Mentally preparing for the EVA
Confidence in the team
The role of Mission Specialist
How Sarah found out about Polaris Dawn
Will Sarah take her violin to space?
The launch date
Experiments on Polaris Dawn
Youngest American to reach orbit
The importance of mentors
The inspiration of Inspiration4
How Crew Dragon has changed
The mood within SpaceX
Cameras within the capsule
Expected highs
Follow Sarah Gillis
Listen to the Astro Ben Podcast
More episodes: Anna Menon on Polaris Dawn · Julia Brodsky on STEM education · All episodes
New space interviews every week. Look up. Listen in.