Kidd Goes to Space

The Polaris Dawn Program is an initiave with the aim of putting civilians in space. This program, hosted by SpaceX (with contributions from NASA–like a launch pad, among other things), trained Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet and three other civilians to endure space travel. Poteet, a graduate of UNH and a current resident of New Hampshire, was the mission pilot of this journey's. Alongside him were mission commander Jared Isaacman, mission specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. 

Although Poteet was born in Tennessee, he attended the University of New Hampshire  following Oyster River High School. After earning his undergraduate degree, he went on to receive a Master’s degree in counseling and leadership from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. During his college career, he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, ROTC, which led him to join the Air Force. He “was very driven and found what [he] had a passion for.” A valuable lesson Poteet stressed during his interview here at Exeter was that when “times … get tough, … [it is necessary] to find what you have a passion for” so that you can always have the motivation to carry on.

Poteet spent 20 years serving in the Air Force in positions including the Commander of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, USAF Thunderbird #4 Demonstration Pilot, Operational Test & Evaluation Pilot, and Flight Examiner. During these roles, he spent over 3,000 hours flying in F-16s, A-4s, T-38s, T-37s, T-3s, and Alpha Jets. Poteet also logged over 400 hours of combat time in operations such as North Watch, Southern Watch, Joint Guardian, Freedom’s Sentinel, and Resolute Support. After leaving the Air Force in 2016, Poteet spent time with Draken International and Shift4 until 2022, when he became the Mission Director for Inspiration4—the mother of the Polaris Program. Poteet admitted that piloting Polaris was “a career of building relationships … never burning bridges.” Poteet was recruited to Polaris Dawn due to his experience in flight, adventurous spirit, and connection with Jared Isaacman, the mission commander and major contributor to the establishment of Polaris Dawn. 

During the two and a half years leading up to take off, the group of three underwent training for all aspects of the expedition. Because going into space is not a day to day endeavor, the training was not either. Some of the more exotic ways of training happened to be white water rafting, skiing, scuba diving, and hiking a 20,000 foot mountain in the Andes of Ecuador, Cotopaxi. Aside from attempting (and succeeding) to put these four civilians in space, other goals of the mission included the usage of new equipment and technology, such as the rocket and suits. Similar to the trainees, this new technology was in its developmental stage. Due to this, there were several setbacks. In the end, this development ensured the safest and highest quality technology and equipment.     

When the crew made it to their destined distance from Earth, approximately three times the height of the International Space Station, Poteet said he felt an “overwhelming sensation that [he was] insignificant,” which is called the overview effect. This resolution included epiphanies regarding his existence on earth, as he stated that he thought his “significance was much greater than it really is” until he experienced the overview effect. The peak of the mission, during the point where they could see beyond our planet, Poteet stated that “it looked like the beginning of time, all you could see is continents, water, … whether patterns, [and] sunrises and sunsets every 90 minutes.”

Ultimately, Poteet’s presentation left the audience with an understanding of the importance of  humility, to be stay away from pride, and to find something you are truly passionate for, so that when life gets hard, you are able to persevere knowing there is something to push for.