Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis just completed the first ever private spacewalk - but who are they?
12 September 2024, 14:06 | Updated: 12 September 2024, 14:21
A space mission has seen two individuals - Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis - become the first two people to carry out a privately-funded spacewalk.
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Tech entrepreneur Isaacman launched into space on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the Polaris Dawn mission, along with a pair of SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbirds pilot.
He is sharing the cost with SpaceX, including the development and testing of new spacesuits to see how they perform.
During the walk, mission commander Isaacman will exit the Dragon spacecraft, perform a series of mobility tests in the newly-designed spacesuit and return to the cabin.
Mission specialist Sarah Gillis will perform the same series of actions and, after re-entering Dragon, close the spacecraft's hatch.
Mission pilot Kidd Poteet and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon will monitor vital support systems throughout the operation.
But who are tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis who completed the spacewalk?
Jared Isaacman
According to reports, Isaacman was born in Far Hills, New Jersey, in 1983 to a Jewish family.
He has two brothers and a sister.
He married former employee Monica Chacana - who is also from New Jersey - in 2012.
The couple have two daughters, Mila and Liv.
He has described himself as a family man and that the family all love Star Wars.
Isaacman dropped out of high school and started his first business at the age of 15 in his parents' basement.
With the help of a $10,000 loan from his grandfather, he soon set up another business, United Bank Card, the progenitor of Shift4, and started selling credit-card terminals.
After taking up aviation as a hobby,he started what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International.
With Sean Gustafson, they set up an air-show squadron called the Black Diamond Jet Team with other retired pilots and skilled civilians, performing aerial acrobatics at NFL games and the Indy 500.
Watch Dragon’s first spacewalk with the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew https://t.co/svdJRkGN7K
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 12, 2024
The pair managed to persuade the Air Force to outsource training to them—using ex-military aircraft from foreign allies that cost much less to operate, manned with retired airmen not on the military payroll.
This initiative would save billions and enable the Air Force’s best pilots to fight overseas rather than train rookies in the Nevada desert. This started Draken International and they bought fighter jets from around the world.
He then sold it to Blackstone eight years later for a nine-figure sum.
High school friend Brendan Lauber said “He’s the best at what he does, and he’s proven it in totally different industries, starting from zero,”.
“His personality is ‘see it, conquer it and be the best at it."
Isaacman’s press bio notes: “Isaacman holds several world records, including a Speed-Around-The-World flight to raise money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
"He has flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating every performance to charitable causes. He and his companies are dedicated to supporting a range of charities.
"As part of Inspiration4’s public outreach, Isaacman made a personal $100 million commitment to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in order to raise upward of $200 million to support the non-profit.”
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Sarah Gillis
Gillis was born in California, but raised in Cololardo.
She enjoys hobbies such as biking, climbing, or hiking and said her faviourite things is "one of my favorite things is a cup of hot coffee while camping in the wilderness".
According to her LinkedIn, she grew up in a family of artists and musicians - where she played the classical violin.
"I can’t say I grew up dreaming of being an engineer (or even knowing what engineering was).
"Rather, I fell into it when I discovered there was a profession entirely dedicated to creative problem solving, and have been hooked ever since.
"It turns out that if you follow your curiosity, you never know where it will lead".
She studied Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at the University of Boulder, Colorado.
She also interned at the Sierra Nevada Corporation.
She has worked at SpaceX for nine years, where she started as a Crew Operations Intern before progressing to a Senior Space Operations Engineer.
Her Linked In account also says she is conversationally fluent in German and previously worked as a barista.
The Polaris Program describes her as an "experienced mission control operator, who has supported real-time operations for Dragon’s cargo resupply missions to and from the International Space Station as a Navigation Officer, and as a crew communicator for Dragon’s human spaceflight missions."
While flying on private spaceflight Polaris Dawn, along with Anna Menon, she set the record for the furthest women from Earth.
