Polaris Dawn Crew Member Shares Dramatic Journey Home

A member of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission recently shared his experiences aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and made a thrilling descent back home over the past weekend.

Scott Poteet, part of the Polaris Dawn crew, reflected on an awe-inspiring image taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station (ISS). The photograph captured the Crew Dragon during its swift descent, concluding a remarkable five-day journey that marked the first-ever privately sponsored spacewalk.

“The plasma was absolutely blinding,” Poteet shared in a social media update on Tuesday. “It started with a purple and pink glow and transformed into brilliant flickering flames. This spectacle continued throughout the blackout period for a solid eight minutes — a vision I’ll never forget.”

During re-entry, temperatures surrounding the spacecraft soar to extreme levels, causing the air molecules to ionize and create an electrically charged plasma enveloping the vehicle. The crew can glimpse this stunning sight through their windows, assuming they are brave enough to open their eyes amid the exhilarating experience.

In a reply to Poteet, fellow astronaut Matthew Dominick, stationed aboard the ISS, expressed his excitement about witnessing the Crew Dragon from afar. He noted, “It was incredible to scan the horizon from our ship looking for another spacecraft and then to spot yours racing through the atmosphere.” Dominick added, “We all saw you without any aid. We were moving southeast from Arkansas to Florida while you were heading northeast from the Yucatán Peninsula to Florida. It was a spectacular sight from our vantage point.”

Pettit captured his breathtaking photograph of the Crew Dragon from the Cupola, a module with seven windows that provides expansive views of Earth and space. “Along with the colorful entry trail over Florida, you can also make out the distinct shape of the Dragon capsule,” Pettit explained, noting that he took the shot with a Nikon Z9 camera equipped with a 200mm lens.