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When SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission takes off from Kennedy Space Center next week (August 26 at press time), it’ll be taking two Coloradans with it. Mission pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former resident of Monument, will join Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX and graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, on a five-day endeavor to space. Rounding out the crew are mission specialist Anna Menon and mission commander Jared Isaacman, a billionaire philanthropist and founder of aerospace company Draken International, who funded the project. Isaacman also financed Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight in 2021.
Polaris Dawn’s crew will attempt to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown—and make the first commercial spacewalk while they’re at it. In orbit, the astronauts plan to conduct plenty of experiments on topics like the effects of space travel on the human body and motion sickness during spaceflight for institutions including Johns Hopkins University, NASA, and CU Boulder.
We sat down with Poteet and Gillis ahead of the launch to learn what it takes to explore space and how the Centennial State helped shape them for the job.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: There are a lot of different avenues to become an astronaut. What are your backgrounds?
Sarah Gillis: I grew up just outside of north Boulder, and I was actually trained from a young age to be a violinist. I met former astronaut Joe Tanner, who at the time was a professor at CU Boulder, which led me to pivot to study aerospace engineering. I then started as an intern at SpaceX in 2015 and have been here ever since, working on development of spacecraft and helping to build our astronaut training program. That’s how I met Jared Isaacman—through training the all-civilian crew of the Inspiration4 mission.
Scott “Kidd” Poteet: I grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in outdoor education. I spent the next 20 years in the Air Force, primarily flying F-16s. I also graduated from the USAF Weapons School, which is the Air Force’s version of Top Gun. While in the Air Force, one of my assignments was commanding the Aggressors, a squadron of F-16s that provides adversary support, to help the Air Force train pilots. Jared Isaacman was providing that same service but on the commercial side through Draken International, which led me to work for Draken when I retired from the Air Force. I helped work on logistics for Inspiration4, which is how I was selected for Polaris.
As for my ties to Colorado, I was assigned to the Air Force Academy from 2009 to 2011. When COVID hit, we decided to move our family out to Monument because of the school systems. Just a couple of months ago we relocated back to New England because our oldest is attending Northeastern University.
What has training for Polaris Dawn looked like?
Gillis: Taking one step back, Polaris Dawn has a number of really big objectives we’re hoping to accomplish. We’re flying into the highest Earth orbit ever flown, endeavoring to perform the first commercial spacewalk, and we’re also hoping to test out the functionality of the internet using Starlink. Those are supplemented by over 40 experiments supporting science and research. Those are all really big objectives, so in preparation for that, we started about two-and-a-half years ago. We’ve gone through the standard training program, but we’ve also contributed to the operation development. Every time we show up, there’s new hardware and software to test out.
Poteet: There are different phases of training that we’ve been through the last couple of years. There’s a lot of simulator training where we get familiar with the spacecraft. We’re prepared in any situation if something goes wrong. We’ve also done a lot of experiential-type learning. We’ve flown fighter jets. We’ve gone through a skydiving program at the Air Force Academy. We’ve climbed mountains—Cotopaxi down in Ecuador. The purpose of these things is to work as a team, put us in high-stress environments, and get comfortable in uncomfortable situations.
You all will spend five days in orbit. Is that enough time to complete everything on your ambitious to-do list?
Gillis: We have an incredibly busy schedule while we’re up there. We have basically a minute-by-minute schedule over the course of the five-day mission. This includes a lot of the science and research objectives, but also setting up for the spacewalk and time to check out the Starlink connectivity. [There] will be some really great opportunities in-flight for the public to tune in. Both launch and the orbit will be public, but there will also be a broadcast of the spacewalk.
What is the spacewalk going to look like?
Gillis: How spacewalks are defined is that if you’re in the vacuum of space, you’re part of the spacewalk. The way the Dragon spacecraft is designed is that there’s no airlock, so we’ll be venting the entire spacecraft. For the operation, all four crew members will get suited up and pressurized, and then we’ll remove the atmosphere from the spacecraft. Once it’s vacuumed, two crew members will proceed outside of the hatch before coming back in and repressurizing the spacecraft. Even the two crew members inside the spacecraft will be heavily involved and will be the eyes and ears of those outside the spacecraft. To our knowledge, it’s the first spacewalk performed with four crew members.
Will this be your first time in space? What are you most excited about?
Poteet: This will be my first time in space. I never dreamed I would have this opportunity. We’re at a paradigm shift in space exploration. Up to this point, it’s been a very selective pool of individuals who have been able to go to space. Coming from a fighter pilot background, I’m definitely excited for the launch, those G forces, and going from zero miles an hour to 17,500 miles an hour in just a few minutes. I’m also excited for weightlessness, seeing Earth from space, the ride back down, and reuniting with my family.
Gillis: I share all of that with Kidd. Additionally, these missions aren’t just about what we can do in space, but how we can benefit organizations here on Earth. We’re partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to raise funds for the work they do. I’m excited for the moments in the mission that benefit St. Jude and engaging with those kids and maybe inspiring a few dreams.
Has living in Colorado affected your career path at all?
Gillis: I grew up having this incredible view of stars from my porch. Meeting an astronaut through CU Boulder was directly responsible for leading me to study engineering, and Boulder’s aerospace program is so incredible and led me to where I am today.
Poteet: Colorado is home to the second-largest commercial space community in the country. We’ve made a lot of connections with those companies in the space industry in Colorado, which has been hugely beneficial. The Air Force Academy is a big partner for us. I’m really thankful for those relationships in Denver and Colorado Springs.
This is the first of three missions in the Polaris program. Do you know anything about what the others will look like?
Poteet: SpaceX is making a transition from the Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon9 rocket to Starship, which is the largest rocket ever built. The target for the third Polaris mission is the first human spaceflight on Starship. We want to identify any challenges as they make that transition to Starship. Mission two and three are TBD. What we accomplish with this mission will dictate what we do in the future. We’ll also have to identify the right crew for those future missions.
What advice would you give kids interested in working in the space industry?
Gillis: When I was a kid, I never would have imagined an adventure this big for myself. I wanted to create something to help kids explore what is possible, which is why I partnered with El Sistema USA, an organization that provides high-quality music education for kids. My advice is within that curriculum: Don’t be afraid of big dreams and pursue them. Don’t be afraid of outrageous ideas.
Poteet: It’s a matter of embracing your passions and relentlessly pursuing them. It’s not just the pilots who are the future of space exploration. If you think about what’s required to make our species multiplanetary, it requires medical professionals, engineers, and countless other career fields. I recommend finding something that you’re passionate about and embracing the gifts that you have. I’m very envious of the future generations and the opportunities they’ll have. It’s a bright future.
