— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024 The five-day mission will carry its four passengers higher than any crewed flight since NASA’s Apollo missions, shooting for an altitude of 870 miles above Earth’s surface. Joining Isaacman aboard the Dragon Resilience spacecraft are former U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Poteet as well as SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Hazards in space The four civilians will encounter extra hazards on the journey as they will be exposed to high levels of radiation at their peak altitude, which falls within the inner band of the so-called Van Allen belts, a region that is rife with charged particles emitted by the sun and captured and held in place by the Earth’s magnetic forces. The spacewalks, scheduled for Thursday, will be performed by Isaacman and Gillis, but the configuration of the Dragon capsule, which does not include an isolated exit hatch for leaving the vehicle, will expose the interior of the capsule to the vacuum of space. All four passengers will be geared up in spacesuits during the separate excursions, which will require Isaacman and Gillis to maintain handholds, along with the anchoring provided by a 12-foot tether, during their brief times outside the capsule. The extravehicular activities, which provide an opportunity to test out a new spacesuit design that Isaacman also helped fund, will occur while the Dragon capsule is at an altitude of around 435 miles. If successful, the spacewalks will be the first to be performed by nonprofessional astronauts. It’s the first of three trips that Isaacman bought from Elon Musk 2 1/2 years ago, soon after returning from his first private SpaceX spaceflight in 2021, according to The Associated Press. Isaacman bankrolled that tourist ride for an undisclosed sum, taking along contest winners and a childhood cancer survivor. The trip raised hundreds of millions for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The current mission is also aiming to fundraise for charitable groups. SpaceX to the rescue