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New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): The <keyword id="19915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Space Research Organisation" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Space Research Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords">ISRO</keyword>) on Sunday achieved another success in the <keyword id="21046346" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reusable-Launch-Vehicle" source="keywords">Reusable Launch Vehicle</keyword> (RLV) landing experiment (LEX). The third and final test in the series of LEX (03) was conducted at 07:10 IST at the <keyword id="22149303" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Test-Range" source="keywords">Aeronautical Test Range</keyword> (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Following the success of the RLV LEX-01 and LEX-02 missions, <keyword id="22149668" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RLV-LEX-03" source="keywords">RLV LEX-03</keyword> re-demonstrated the <keyword id="21054893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="autonomous-landing" source="keywords">autonomous landing</keyword> capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions (cross range of 500 m against 150 m for LEX-02) and more severe wind conditions. The winged vehicle, named '<keyword id="21046350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pushpak" source="keywords">Pushpak</keyword>', was released from an <keyword id="19992067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Air Force" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Air Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. From a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway, and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centerline. Due to this vehicle's low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft and 280 kmph for a typical fighter aircraft. After touchdown, the vehicle's velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute, after which the landing gear brakes were employed for deceleration and stop on the runway. During this ground roll phase, Pushpak utilises its rudder and nose wheel steering system to autonomously maintain a stable and precise ground roll along the runway. This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming ISRO's expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a RLV. Through this mission, the advanced guidance algorithm catering to longitudinal and lateral plane error corrections, which is essential for the future Orbital Re-entry Mission, has been validated. Notably, the RLV-LEX uses multisensor fusion, including sensors like an Inertial sensor, Radar altimeter, Flush air data system, Pseudolite system and NavIC. Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems as such without any modification, from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of ISRO's capability of design and reuse flight systems for multiple missions. The mission, led by VSSC, was a collaborative effort involving multiple ISRO centres (SAC, ISTRAC, SDSC-SHAR), with significant support from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (RCMA) under the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Indian aerospace industrial partners, Indian Oil Corporation of India, and Airport Authority of India. S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, Department of Space, congratulated the team for their efforts in maintaining the success streak on such complex missions. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, emphasised that this consistent success boosts ISRO's confidence in the critical technologies essential for future orbital re-entry missions.

'Pushpak' aces test: ISRO achieves yet another success in Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) landing experiment

Perth: (The Conversation) Last week, three tiny Australian satellites from Curtin University's <keyword id="23932163" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binar-Space-Program" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Binar Space Program" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Binar Space Program">Binar Space Program</keyword> burned up in Earth's atmosphere. That was always going to happen. In fact, Binar means "fireball" in the Noongar language of the First Nations people of Perth. When a satellite is in low Earth orbit (2,000km or less), it experiences orbital decay as it drags closer and closer to the surface, eventually burning up. But these cube satellites (<keyword id="21533654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CubeSats" source="keywords">CubeSats</keyword>), known as Binar-2, 3 and 4, entered the atmosphere much sooner than originally planned. They only lasted for two months - a third of what was expected. This significantly reduced valuable time for science and testing new systems. The reason for their untimely demise? Our Sun has kicked into high gear, and the Binar satellites are far from the only casualty. Recent high <keyword id="20792842" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Solar-activity" source="keywords">solar activity</keyword> has been causing an unexpected headache for satellite operators in the last few years, and it's only increasing. <h2>Why is the Sun so active? </h2> Solar activity includes phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares and solar wind - the stream of charged particles that flows toward Earth. This activity is a product of the Sun's ever-changing magnetic field, and approximately every 11 years, it completely flips. At the midpoint of this cycle, solar activity is at its highest. While this cycle is known, specific solar activity is challenging to predict - the dynamics are complex and solar forecasting is in its infancy. In the last few months, indicators of solar activity were more than one and a half times higher than predictions for this point in the current cycle, labelled <keyword id="22712826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-cycle-25" source="keywords">solar cycle 25</keyword>. <h2>The impact of <keyword id="20087207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-weather" source="keywords">space weather</keyword> </h2> Space weather refers to the environmental effects that originate from outside our atmosphere (mostly the Sun). It affects us on Earth in a variety of noticeable and unnoticeable ways. The most obvious is the presence of auroras. In the past few months, auroras have been visible far more intensely and closer to the equator than in the last two decades. This is a direct result of the increased solar activity. Space weather, and solar activity in particular, also creates additional challenges for satellites and satellite operators. Higher solar activity means more solar flares and stronger solar wind - resulting in a higher flux of charged particles that can damage or disrupt electrical components on satellites. It also means an increase in ionising radiation, resulting in a higher dose for astronauts and pilots, and potential disruptions to long-distance radio communications. But for satellites in low Earth orbit, the most consistent effect of solar activity is that the extra energy gets absorbed into the outer atmosphere, causing it to balloon outward. As a result, all satellites less than 1,000km from Earth experience a significant increase in <keyword id="23473319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="atmospheric-drag" source="keywords">atmospheric drag</keyword>. This is a force that disrupts their orbit and causes them to fall towards the planet's surface. Notable satellites in this region include the International Space Station and the Starlink constellation. These satellites have thrusters to counteract this effect, but these corrections can be expensive. Low Earth orbit also contains many university satellites, such as the Binar CubeSats. Cube satellites are rarely equipped with tools that can adjust their altitude, so they're entirely at the mercy of space weather. <h2>What happened to Binar? </h2> The Binar Space Program is a satellite research program operating out of Curtin University. It aims to advance our understanding of the Solar System and lower the barrier for operating in space. The program began operations with its first satellite, Binar-1, in September 2021. This was less than a year into solar cycle 25 when solar activity was relatively low. In these conditions, the ten-centimetre cube satellite started at an altitude of 420km and survived a full 364 days in orbit. The program's follow-up mission - Binar-2, 3, and 4 - were three equally sized CubeSats. However, they were expected to last approximately six months owing to the extra surface area from new deployable solar arrays and a forecast increase in solar activity. Instead, they only made it to two months before burning up. While cube satellite missions are relatively cheap, the premature ending of a mission will always be costly. This is even more true for commercial satellites, highlighting the need for more accurate space weather forecasting. The good news is the Sun will calm down again. Despite the current unexpectedly high solar activity, it will likely slow down by 2026, and is expected to return to a solar minimum in 2030. While this was not an explicit goal of the mission, the Binar Space Program has now poignantly demonstrated the dramatic effects of solar activity on space operations. While the untimely loss of Binar-2, 3 and 4 was unfortunate, work has already begun on future missions. They are expected to launch into far more forgiving space weather. (The Conversation).

Right now, the Sun is far more active than predicted - and small satellites are paying the price

Paris [France], March 30 (ANI): Director General of the <keyword id="20681418" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="european-space-agency" source="keywords">European Space Agency</keyword> (<keyword id="191401" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ESA" source="Orion">ESA</keyword>), <keyword id="21132866" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="josef-aschbacher" source="keywords">Josef Aschbacher</keyword>, has heaped praise on the <keyword id="19915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-space-research-organisation" source="keywords">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) for its recent successful launches and said that India's accomplishments in space and especially in lunar exploration is 'astonishing'. Aschbacher posted an appreciation post on X, after ESA hosted its 323rd Council meeting in Paris which was attended by the ISRO Chairman, S Somanath. ESA Member States met in Paris, France, for the 323rd session of the ESA Council on March 26 and 27, 2024. The European scientist also underscored that the significance of strengthening ties and deepening cooperation with international partners cannot be underestimated. "What India is accomplishing in space - especially in Lunar exploration - is astonishing. We hosted ISRO's Chairman, Dr. S. Somanath at ESA Council today. It was a milestone occasion for Delegates to learn more about current and future plans for ESA-ISRO cooperation," he posted on X. "The strategic importance of strengthening ties and deepening cooperation with international partners cannot be underestimated," he added. <div type="twitter" handle="AschbacherJosef" handlename="AschbacherJosef" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1773071288686264521"></div> Additionally, Astronaut <keyword id="20326710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thomas-pesquet" source="keywords">Thomas Pesquet</keyword> also shared about meeting with the ISRO chairman and the ESA Director and said that they witnessed enthusiastic exchanges between the two leaders. "Very proud to welcome ISRO chairman Shri. S. Somanath at ESA HQ in Paris yesterday, with our director Josef Aschbacher. Enthusiastic exchanges between the two men, and abounding cooperation opportunities between the two organisations. Let's co-travel to space together!" he posted on X. <div type="twitter" handle="Thom_astro" handlename="Thom_astro" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1773399899498803577"></div> In a stellar display of prowess, India soared to new heights in 2023 with the successful soft landing of <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword> on the South Pole of the Moon and the launch of <keyword id="5998804" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aditya-L1" source="Orion">Aditya-L1</keyword>, India's first solar mission. These milestones not only secured India's standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India. On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission created history with the successful soft landing on Moon's surface. India is now the first nation to reach near the Moon's unexplored South Pole and ranks amongst the top four nations to carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission and the second attempt to land softly on the moon's surface. It's part of the Chandrayaan program, a series of missions developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to explore the moon. The mission consists of a Vikram lunar lander, a Pragyan lunar rover, and a propulsion module that carries the spacecraft from Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Additionally, in a major milestone, India placed its first dedicated solar mission, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, in the Halo orbit. The country went gaga over this historic achievement, especially since this mission came at the back of India's moon landing, the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Aditya-L1 reached Lagrange Point L1 which is about 1.5 million km from earth. The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in September.

European Space Agency Director praises ISRO, calls India's accomplishments in space "astonishing"

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The growing ranks of boomers aged 65-plus could spark a boom in the senior housing market.</li><li>Demand for senior housing is expected to surge 50% by 2040, Capital Economics estimated.</li></ul>A big investment opportunity is brewing in one corner of the real estate market, thanks to a wave of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retirement-of-peak-boomers-could-affect-economy-social-security-2024-4">baby boomers</a> that are about to age into retirement, according to Capital Economics.The research firm pointed to the so-called "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-happen-baby-boomer-homes-die-millennials-gen-z-2024-1">silver tsunami</a>," the moniker that's been given to describe the imminent surge of Americans over the age of 65 entering prime retirement age. It says this will drive strong demand for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cost-of-a-retirement-home-community-in-every-state-2019-7">senior housing</a> facilities, including assisted living, independent living, skilled nursing, and memory care.For real-estate investors faced with a prolonged slump in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/commercial-real-estate-office-debt-investing-outlook-blackstone-jon-gray-2024-11">commercial real estate</a> space, senior housing offers an enticing alternative, wrote Imogen Pattison, an assistant economist at Capital Economics."With an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomer-gen-z-millennials-economy-housing-job-market-stocks-2024-2">aging population</a>, senior housing has a clear long run structural demand driver pointing to further growth in the sector. Our analysis shows rent prospects appear strong on the back of undersupply and solid wage growth," Pattison wrote. "That makes senior housing a compelling option for investors looking to break away from traditional property investment."The 65-plus population is on track to grow 30% over the next 16 years, encompassing 80 million Americans by 2040, according to estimates from the US Census Bureau.<div type="image" title="Graph showing number of Americans over age of 65" height="964" width="1396" msid="115427149" hostid="261" sizebytes="21546"></div>Meanwhile, around 11% of those over the age of 65 are currently living in a form of senior housing, according to the American Senior Housing Association. Assuming that percentage holds steady, that implies demand for senior housing will grow 50% over the next 16 years, per Capital Economics' analysis, up from 6 million in 2023 to 9 million in 2040.Rents, meanwhile, are seeing a strong uptrend, thanks to the supply of senior housing growing tighter after the pandemic. The sector posted more than 5% year-per-year rent growth in 2023, nearly double its 20-year average, the firm added.<div type="image" title="Chart showing senior housing rent growth" height="1001" width="1413" msid="115427143" hostid="261" sizebytes="26652"></div>That puts the senior housing sector on track to see average annual returns of 13% for the next four years, the firm estimated. Yearly returns are also set to peak in 2026 at around 16%, it added, more than triple the 4.5% yearly growth expected in 2024."We expect continued tight supply to bolster rents over the next year or so," Pattison added. "Taken together, strong capital value growth and income returns mean the sector looks relatively attractive compared to the other real estate sectors."The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/commercial-real-estate-office-outlook-fire-sales-apartment-conversions-housing-2024-10">commercial real estate</a> space has been challenged in recent years, with the demand for offices being weighed down by work-from-home trends while borrowing costs rise in the sector. That means the most troubled office buildings could see a wave of fire sales and conversions, potentially sparking steep losses for property owners, real estate experts told Business Insider.

A 'silver tsunami' of retirement-age baby boomers is creating a big opportunity for real-estate investors, research firm says

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday voiced concern over increasing <keyword id="20715750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-debris" source="keywords">space debris</keyword> as a result of numerous satellites being placed in orbit and lauded <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> for setting itself a target to make future <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword> debris free by 2030. Murmu was speaking at the celebration of the maiden <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword> celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the landing of India's Chandrayaan-3 project. "Space debris can cause problems for space missions," she said during the event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi that was attended by Union minister Jitendra Singh, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath, engineers, ISRO scientists and representatives of the country's nascent space industry. The president appreciated the ISRO System for Safe &amp; Sustainable Operations Management facility, which ensures continuous progress of space research activities. "I am also happy to note that India is moving forward to make all its space missions debris free by 2030," Murmu said. The president presented awards to winners of the Robotics Challenge and the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon on the occasion. The president said ISRO had made remarkable achievements in the space sector as well as invaluable contributions to the country's social and economic development. She appreciated the dedicated scientists who placed India's space programme among the best in the world by using minimum resources. Murmu also expressed confidence that the country would make continuous progress in space science and continue to set new standards of excellence. The president said the progress of India's space sector was extraordinary. "Be it a successfully completed Mars mission with limited resources or the successful launch of more than a hundred satellites at once, we have made many impressive achievements," Murmu said. The president said space exploration had increased the capabilities of human beings and transformed imagination into reality. "But space exploration is a challenging task. Research conducted to solve the problems during space exploration accelerates the development of science and improves human life," she said. The president said many sectors, including health and medicine, transportation, security, energy, environment and information technology, had benefited from developments in the space sector. The president pointed out that with the opening of the space sector to private entities, the number of start-ups had increased at a very rapid pace. "This has not only brought progress in space research but also given new opportunities to our youth to showcase and hone their talents," Murmu said. The president said she was happy to note that just a few months ago, an Indian company successfully launched a single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket, the first such achievement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/2024-tvs-jupiter-vs-honda-activa-6g-which-110cc-scooter-should-you-buy/slidelist/112730069.cms">2024 TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G – which 110cc scooter should you buy?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-add-music-to-instagram-profile/articleshow/112732934.cms">You can now add music to your Instagram profile – here's how</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/audi-q8-facelift-launched-in-india-with-a-1-17-crore-price-tag/slidelist/112707701.cms">Audi Q8 facelift launched in India with a ₹1.17 crore price tag</a>

President Murmu voices concern over increasing space debris

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google">Google</a> executives told Business Insider how they use AI in their daily lives.</li><li>Head of Google Research told BI the magic of technology is when you don't pay attention to using it.</li></ul>AI is becoming hard to ignore in the workplace — and for some companies, it's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-google-technical-program-manager-uses-ai-gemini-2024-8">refined daily workflow for employees</a>.Executives for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-search-ad-market-share-perplexity-ai-openai-chatgpt-2024-10">Google Research</a> — the branch of the company that explores areas like machine learning, quantum AI, and science — shared with Business Insider how they use AI in their daily lives.Google Research head of product and UX Katherine Chou said she uses <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-lens">Lens</a>, Google's tool that uses image recognition to identify images. She said she used it to look up skin conditions and that the tool is useful for herself and her family members.Maya Kulycky, Google Research's VP of strategy, operations, and outreach, also said she is "a huge fan of Lens." Kulycky said she recently saw a "beautiful <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-halloween-decoration-2023-10">Halloween graveyard </a>entrance" in Chicago and used Lens to determine how much it would cost.Vice President of Google Research, Yossi Matias, told BI some of his favorite tools allow listening to audio versions of articles or translating pages. He used the term "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/how-arm-is-taking-leading-role-rise-of-ambient-computing">ambient intelligence</a>" to describe AI that "just works" without being noticed. "For me, the greatest progress is when we don't pay attention to where we're using it," Matias said, adding that's the "magic of technology."However, even those leading tech giants have certain reservations about where they use AI. Kulycky mentioned autocorrect and autocomplete as an area she sometimes thinks twice about. While she said she loves the tool, before accepting the suggested word, she'll ask herself if the word expresses what she means "better than the word" she originally planned to use."Or is it actually like, I'm doing something a little lazy, I'm going to utilize that word, but it's not going to give the same impression," Kulycky said. "And how does that change the nature of my speaking in this form?"She also said she hesitates about using it in more emotional areas."I'm a parent, I'm a mother, I have two boys, 12, 14. I don't want an interface between the emotion that I'm expressing to them," Kulycky said.For Matias, the question of technology and art is "close to my heart." While he feels optimistic about AI's evolution in spaces like music and writing, he says it's important to "have a good identification" of when AI is being used.He also said he uses Gemini's "double-check feature," an artificial intelligence tool, to check Google's AI. The tool allows users to check information from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ai-gemini-bard">Gemini Apps </a>by using Google Search to find similar or different content from the response generated by Gemini Apps."So that enables me to actually benefit from getting this awesome quick, snappy, comprehensive answer to any question I had," Matias said, adding that it helps him make sure it's "well grounded."

Google Research execs reveal how they use AI in their daily lives — and where they think twice about it    

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-launch-risky-polaris-dawn-mission-first-commercial-spacewalk-radiation-2024-8">SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission</a> Tuesday morning, sending four people on an ambitious flight.</li><li>The private mission aims to fly through radiation belts and conduct the first commercial spacewalk.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-launch-2024-8">SpaceX just launched four people</a> on its most daring human spaceflight yet, a mission called Polaris Dawn.The crew features a billionaire, a pilot, and two SpaceX employees. After an early morning launch on Tuesday, they're floating in the company's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-next-spacex-flight-will-have-better-toilets-2021-9">Crew Dragon spaceship</a> in Earth's orbit.None of them are NASA-grade <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronaut-warns-tourists-that-spaceflight-is-uncomfortable-risky-2021-8">professional astronauts</a>, but they're scheduled to fly further from Earth than anyone has traveled in over 50 years, since the Apollo missions.They're also planning to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polaris-dawn-spacewalk-spacex-crew-dragon-2024-9">conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk</a>, taking the risk of opening their entire Crew Dragon spaceship to the vacuum of space.Here's who's on board this bold, historic mission.<h2 id="688a5c11-20ce-406b-89c2-4f98790acc82">Jared Isaacman, mission commander</h2><div type="image" title="jared isaacman spacex crew dragon" height="2560" width="3840" msid="113245844" hostid="261" sizebytes="991006"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jared-isaacman-net-worth-career-spacex-polaris-dawn-2024-8">Jared Isaacman</a> is the billionaire bankrolling the mission and serving as its commander. This isn't the 41-year-old's first rodeo.In 2021, he funded and flew on the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-civilian-crew-zip-ties-sedatives-orbit-2021-9">first-ever all-civilian spaceflight</a>, called Inspiration4, and brought three people with him to circle Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.That mission's name, Inspiration4, derives from Shift4, the payment-processing company that Isaacman founded at age 16 in his parents' basement after dropping out of high school. He is still the CEO.Compared to other space-faring billionaires — like the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-richard-branson-spaceflight-2021-7">flashy Richard Branson</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-jeff-bezos-interrupts-william-shatner-space-speech-spray-champagne-2021-10">champagne-spraying Jeff Bezos</a> — Isaacman's tone is much more serious.For starters, he's a relatively private person. He's repeatedly declined to say how much money he's spent on his missions with SpaceX.He also has some technical qualifications for the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-blue-origin-spacex-commercial-space-flights-tourism-cost-2023-7">commercial astronaut</a> gig: He's an accomplished pilot, reporting over 7,000 flight hours. Isaacman's business repertoire also includes Draken International, a private aircraft provider and pilot-training company that he founded in 2012 and sold to Blackdstone in 2019. The sale, along with taking Shift4 public, made him a billionaire.Messaging around both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-final-members-of-the-all-civilian-inspiration4mission-revealed-2021-4">Inspiration4</a> and Polaris Dawn has been heavily focused on fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as well as making technological advancements in human spaceflight."I just knew it was a pretty significant moment in history, and it comes with some responsibility," Isaacman told BI ahead of the Inspiration4 launch in 2021. He said the St. Jude fundraising was an effort to "take care of some of the problems that we have here on Earth, so we earn the right to go and explore among the stars."Isaacman has also approached NASA, offering to fund a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-spacex-announcement-billionaire-spaceflight-hubble-space-telescope-2022-9">Crew Dragon mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope's orbit</a> and therefore extend its lifespan, since it's currently expected to fall from orbit in the mid-2030s. NASA has declined the offer for now.Isaacman lives in New Jersey with his wife, Monica Isaacman, and their two daughters, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/10/us-news/jared-isaacman-nj-high-school-dropout-turned-tech-billionaire-set-to-conduct-first-private-spacewalk/">New York Post</a>.<h2 id="826614e6-dace-47db-8f31-d7d755ada4e7">Sarah Gillis, mission specialist</h2><div type="image" title="sarah gillis smiling woman in white spacesuit and open helmet with gray and black trim" height="1667" width="2500" msid="113245841" hostid="261" sizebytes="137418"></div>As the engineer overseeing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-spacex-first-civilians-trained-for-spaceflight-photos-2021-9">SpaceX's astronaut training program</a>, Sarah Gillis first got to know Isaacman when she was preparing him and his crewmates for the Inspiration4 flight."You spend a huge amount of your job pretending to be an astronaut and thinking through what they would care about," Gillis, aged 30, said in a briefing on August 19. "I cannot wait to actually test this in space and bring back knowledge to the engineers."Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, Gillis was on track to be a violinist like her mother until her junior year of high school, when she attended a university guest lecture by Joe Tanner, a former NASA astronaut and a mechanical engineering professor. She told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.denverpost.com/2024/07/22/spacex-colorado-astronauts-scott-poteet-sarah-gillis-polaris-dawn/">The Denver Post</a> that she stayed to talk with Tanner, who became her mentor as she pursued aerospace engineering.Gillis started with an internship at SpaceX in 2015 and quickly ascended through the ranks of the company's astronaut training program and mission control operations. She's still a skilled violinist and an avid hiker.Gillis's husband, Lewis, is also a SpaceX engineer. He helped build Dragon's propulsion system."So I know exactly what goes into the testing and the design and the rigor behind absolutely everything in the spacecraft," Gillis said, adding that she was "very, very excited to fly on my favorite Dragon spacecraft."She's serving as the mission specialist on Polaris Dawn, assigned to leave Dragon on Thursday to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-shows-cosmonaut-space-littering-during-spacewalk-nasa-says-harmless-2023-5">conduct the first commercial spacewalk</a> alongside Isaacman. This is her first time in space.<h2 id="3fe1acf4-ea8f-4279-9bc9-30d402b3c54d">Anna Menon, mission specialist and medical officer</h2><div type="image" title="Crewmember Anna Menon of Polaris Dawn smiling and wearing sunglasses" height="1500" width="2004" msid="113245851" hostid="261" sizebytes="165860"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronaut-parenting-tips-career-vs-dad-time-2024-3">Anna Menon</a> has dreamed of going to space since she was a child."I grew up in Houston, another Space City, and I was exposed to space on a field trip and got to experience a day in the life of an astronaut and a flight controller in mission control," Menon said during the August 19 briefing. "And I fell in love with the industry." Polaris Dawn is the 38-year-old's first time in space. She's an engineer at SpaceX and is serving as a mission specialist and medical officer for Polaris Dawn. "I think working at SpaceX gives me a tremendous amount of competence going to space," Menon said. Before joining SpaceX, Menon worked at NASA and helped oversee International Space Station operations as a biomedical flight controller. She's not the only one in her family headed to space. Menon's husband, Anil, is one of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronauts-hiring-resume-selection-manager-2024-3">NASA's new astronauts</a>. The couple have two children, James and Grace.During her trip in space, Anna plans to get in a bit of reading. "I'm going to read a children's book I wrote, '<a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744559/kisses-from-space-by-anna-menon-and-keri-vasek-illustrated-by-andy-harkness/">Kisses from Space</a>,' to both my kids as well as some of the brave kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," she <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/billionaire-jared-isaacman-leads-four-civilian-astronauts-historic-polaris-dawn-mission-8709509">told People</a>. The live feed storytime is part of the mission's fundraising for the pediatric hospital, which treats childhood cancers and other diseases.<h2 id="3fce8d66-9204-4222-b02b-13d7f457607b">Scott "Kidd" Poteet, mission pilot</h2><div type="image" title="Polaris Dawn crewmember Scott Poteet against a white background" height="1500" width="2151" msid="113245842" hostid="261" sizebytes="78440"></div>Though he's flown fighter jets for the US Air Force, Scott Poteet has never been to space. The 50-year-old <a target="_blank" href="https://polarisprogram.com/team/scott-poteet/">mission</a> pilot <a target="_blank" href="https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2024/08/16/scott-kidd-poteet-talks-about-polaris-dawn">suffers</a> from motion sickness, but managed to overcome that in his combat missions and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airforce.com/thunderbirds/overview">performing</a> aerobatic maneuvers with the US Air Force's Thunderbirds.Poteet told <a target="_blank" href="https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2024/08/16/scott-kidd-poteet-talks-about-polaris-dawn">Spectrum News</a> his route to becoming an astronaut wasn't typical, at least not by today's standards. His grades weren't the best in school, and he doesn't have a background in engineering or science. Nevertheless, Isaacman invited Poteet, who goes by "Kidd," to pilot Polaris Dawn."On a personal level, flying fighter jets in the Air Force for 20 years, combat experience, operational test experience, leading many red flag exercises, and fighter weapons school, I can tell you without a doubt this has been some of the most challenging training that I've ever experienced," Poteet said about his training for Polaris Dawn during the briefing on August 19.Poteet lives in Monument, Colorado with his wife and has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8QPSBUMRo8/?img_index=1">three</a> children. At least one hopes to follow in his footsteps. "My 12-year-old son absolutely plans to go to space," he recently told <a target="_blank" href="https://magazine.unh.edu/issue/winter-2023/to-the-stars/">UNH Magazine</a>. "He believes it will be commonplace in his lifetime."

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