--- title: "SpaceX Tourist Who Plans to Become First Private Spacewalker Says He’ll Be “Surrounded by Death”" description: "As billionaire Jared Isaacman prepares for the world's first-ever civilian spacewalk with SpaceX, he's got some pretty morose things to say." date: "2024-08-19" modified: "2024-08-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-polaris-dawn-surrounded-death" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "jared isaacman" - "space tourism" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Tourist Who Plans to Become First Private Spacewalker Says He’ll Be “Surrounded by Death” ![As billionaire Jared Isaacman prepares for the world's first-ever civilian spacewalk with SpaceX, he's got some pretty morose things to say.]() *\Image: SpaceX/Futurism\* ## Ghost Ride As billionaire [Jared Isaacman]() prepares for the world's [first-ever civilian spacewalk](), he's got some pretty morose things to say about the feat he's soon to attempt. In an [interview with *CNBC*](), the second-time space tourist said that when he embarks on his "extravehicular activities" (or EVA for short) during his forthcoming Polaris Dawn mission on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, he's well aware that he will be "surrounded by death." In fact, Isaacman said that he and his three-person crew have been [training extensively for years]() to handle that scary scenario that's hurtling toward them as they approach the [August 26 launch date]() of their groundbreaking flight, which is [slated to be the first of three](). "The only thing that comes close to that \[sensation\] is the vacuum chamber," he told *CNBC*, "and that’s where you’re pretty much feeling as close as it’s like to be in the vacuum conditions or space." "That definitely gives you the actual sensations of the pressure changes and the temperature changes," Isaacman continued, "as well as just the psychological stressors of being in a very harsh environment." If you think that's a pretty freaky statement for someone who's [dropping untold hundreds of millions]() of dollars to do a civilian spacewalk, you're not wrong — and he's in good company in that regard. ## Don't Go Softly Citing his own private [trek into low-Earth orbit in 2021](), William Shatner's 2022 memoir included an excerpt in which the nonagenarian star said that instead of being inspired when he looked back at the globe on his Blue Origin capsule, he was [filled with dread](). "When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold," the "Star Trek" icon wrote in his memoir, titled "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder." "All I saw was death," he continued. While Isaacman is unlikely to take quite that glum a tone — not least because Shatner ended up using that emotional experience to segue into an environmentalist invective that seems unlikely for an [e-payments billionaire]() who moonlights as a fighter jet pilot — it's still interesting that he's already echoing the "Star Trek" actor ahead of his second space flight. **More on SpaceX tourism:** [*SpaceX Tourists Could Become the First Humans to Fly Over Earth's Poles*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()