A member of the Polaris Dawn flight crew, SpaceX engineer Sarah Gills, made history by performing the first violin solo in space to the tune of a “Star Wars” theme after participating in the first-ever civilian spacewalk. After her historic journey outside the spacecraft with billionaire Jared Isaacman on Thursday, Gills entertained her crew members and the world with her violin as she played “Rey’s Theme,” a John Williams score from the movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Footage of the cosmic concerto shows Gills floating inside SpaceX’s Dragon capsule while playing the cinematic song, with her hair standing up in the weightlessness of space. Her performance was synced up with orchestras around the world to complete the ensemble, but only her three crew members could hear her play in real-time, as evident by their smiles at this once-in-a-lifetime concert.
Polaris Dawn dubbed the solo “Harmony of Resilience,” which was planned as part of a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and El Sistema to use music to boost the spirits of children helped by these organizations. The mission aimed to inspire future generations to look towards the stars through the universal language of music and the relentless fight against childhood cancers and diseases.
Alongside the spacewalk and violin solo, the Polaris flight included several other firsts. For instance, it traveled further into space than any astronaut since the Apollo missions in 1972. Because the SpaceX capsule did not have an airlock during Thursday’s spacewalk, it was also the first time four astronauts were simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space.
Isaacman and Gills were the only two to venture outside the capsule while mission director Anna Melon and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet stayed inside the ship to monitor the situation. After the mission, which tested SpaceX’s new spacesuits, the Polaris crew safely landed back on Earth on Sunday, concluding their five-day trip in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas.
