Space / Human Spaceflight / Distancefarthest
Farthest Distance from Earth Reached by a Jewish Person
Record holder
Record value
1,408.1 km (874.9 miles)
Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: United StatesAchievement date: 11 September 2024Current record
Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records
Jared Isaacman — record holder for “Farthest Distance from Earth Reached by a Jewish Person”.NASA/Bill Ingallsimages.nasa.govPublic domain
Official record definition
The greatest maximum altitude or distance from Earth reached during a crewed spaceflight by a natural person satisfying JWR Jewish Eligibility at Achievement.
Measurement methodology
Official postflight Polaris Program and SpaceX reporting gives maximum apogee 1,408.1 km above Earth’s surface (874.9 miles). This measured mission maximum is preferred over the earlier preliminary 1,400.7 km orbital figure also reported by other sources.
Measurement point: Maximum altitude (orbital apogee) above Earth’s surface during Polaris Dawn, 11 September 2024.
Record story
During the Polaris Dawn mission, commander Jared Isaacman travelled to a peak orbital altitude of 1,408.1 kilometres (874.9 miles) above Earth’s surface, according to the official final SpaceX and Polaris Program mission reports. The crew reached this maximum orbit on 11 September 2024, the day after the launch. This was the highest crewed Earth orbit achieved since the Apollo era and the farthest humans had travelled from Earth since 1972. JWR’s record is specifically for the greatest verified distance from Earth reached by a Jewish person, rather than the highest orbit in general. The comparison includes Apollo-era lunar travellers and all subsequent crewed missions; no qualifying Jewish astronaut was identified on a flight extending beyond Polaris Dawn. The mission also made history with the first commercial spacewalk, conducted at a lower altitude later in the flight. The Record Value shows only the officially reported peak altitude, with kilometres followed by miles.
Media
Gallery
Jared Isaacman, record holder.NASA/Bill Ingallsimages.nasa.govPublic domain
How JWR verified this record
- Verification status
- Verified
- Verification date
- 28 September 2026
- Verification standard
- JWR Verification Standard 1.0
Achievement evidence
NASA’s current Isaacman biography records Polaris Dawn’s 870-mile orbit as the highest crewed orbit in more than 50 years and the farthest humans had traveled from Earth since Apollo 17. Postflight official Polaris mission press release 15 Sept 2024 and SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission report specify 1,408.1 km (874.9 miles), reaching peak orbit on 11 Sept 2024. This is an altitude above Earth surface (not geocentric distance).
Superiority evidence
Jewish astronaut chronology and Apollo-era screening found no eligible Jewish lunar traveler or other Jewish crew member reaching a greater distance before Polaris Dawn.
Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR
Jewish eligibility verification
Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.
- Trump picks Jewish space adventurer Jared Isaacman to head NASA — Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Achievement / record verification
Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.
- Jared Isaacman — NASA
- Polaris Dawn Mission — Polaris Program
- Highest altitude crewed flight in Earth Orbit — Guinness World Records
- POLARIS DAWN — final mission report — SpaceX
- Polaris Dawn mission chronology — World Spaceflight
- Polaris Dawn Crew Returns to Earth, Achieving Major Objectives — Polaris Program
- Miles to Go — Jared Isaacman: From Entrepreneur to Space Pioneer — Miles to Go / YouTube
Superiority / counter-candidate verification
Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.
- Aeronautics and Space Report FY 2024 — NASA
Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.
Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.
Sources & Verification
Official recordNASA
What this proves: NASA lists Polaris Dawn at 870 miles and the highest crewed orbit in 50+ years.
Official recordPolaris Program
What this proves: Official mission overview and crew/objectives.
Trump picks Jewish space adventurer Jared Isaacman to head NASA
Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency
What this proves: Explicitly identifies Isaacman as Jewish.
Aeronautics and Space Report FY 2024
Official recordNASA
What this proves: Government report corroborating the Polaris Dawn altitude context.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at Iowa State
Institutional archiveNASA Image and Video Library
What this proves: High-resolution 8055×5039 NASA public-domain holder image.
Highest altitude crewed flight in Earth Orbit
Primary sourceGuinness World Records
What this proves: Older or differing reported orbital altitude of 1,400.7 kilometres demonstrates source conflict. JWR adopts the later primary postflight value 1,408.1 km from SpaceX/Polaris; do not misstate figures as matching.
POLARIS DAWN — final mission report
Primary sourceSpaceX
What this proves: Official SpaceX mission report confirms the Dragon crew reached 1,408.1 km peak altitude above Earth, higher than any crewed Earth orbit since Apollo.
Polaris Dawn mission chronology
Primary sourceWorld Spaceflight
What this proves: Secondary mission log documents crew’s high orbit at 875 miles / 1,408.1 km on 11 September 2024, after 10 September launch.
Polaris Dawn Crew Returns to Earth, Achieving Major Objectives
Primary sourcePolaris Program
What this proves: Official postflight mission release states peak altitude of 1,408.1 kilometres (874.9 miles) from Earth’s surface.
Miles to Go — Jared Isaacman: From Entrepreneur to Space Pioneer
Primary sourceMiles to Go / YouTube
What this proves: Biographical interview about Jared Isaacman, Shift4, Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn. Intended for holder profile, distinct from record mission footage.
History
Verified
Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.
Publishedv1
Published to the official JWR registry.