The Inspiration4 crew (L-R): Jared Isaacman, Dr. Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux and Chris Sembroski.Photo: JOHN KRAUS/© 2021 Inspiration4 2021/Netflix/AFP via Getty
SpaceXis about to make history with its latest mission.
TheElon Musk-founded company is sending four private citizens into space Wednesday, marking the first time a crew will launch into orbit without a professional astronaut on board.
The four civilians embarking on mission Inspiration4 areJared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and commander of the flight;Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Chris Sembroski, an aerospace data engineer; and Sian Proctor, a pilot and geoscientist, perNPR.
Isaacman, a 38-year-old billionaire, has paid for the entire trip and donated the three seats to his companions, though he hasn’t revealed exactly how much it cost, theAssociated Pressreported. His journey into space follows the other billionaire space tours that made headlines this summer — bothRichard BransonandJeff Bezoswent up into orbit on their own respective trips.
JOHN KRAUS/© 2021 Inspiration4 2021/Netflix/AFP via Getty
A five-hour window for the launch starts on Wednesday at 8:02 p.m. EST, although the exact launch time is not locked in stone, perThe New York Times. However, weather is predicted to be favorable for the launch, which will be broadcast live on theSpaceX YouTube channeland onNetflix’s YouTube channel.
In the event that the crew is not able to launch during the time window, they will try again on Thursday night, according to theTimes.
Wednesday’s launch will fundraise for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with Isaacman pledging $100 million to the pediatric care center, with sights set on a goal of raising$200 millionfor the cause.
Arxeneaux, a childhood cancer survivor,works at St. Jude, where she was once treated. Procter won her spot on the spacecraft through a Shift4 Payments contest, and Sembroski secured his seat in a St. Jude charity drive.
The civilians have been training for months, undergoing simulations and exercises since March to prepare for Wednesday’s launch. They’ve completed centrifuge training, zero-gravity plane training, and altitude training. They’ve also spent plenty of time in the classroom and undergone medical testing, per NPR.
When they launch into space, the crew will be taking some special items with them, many of which will be auctioned off to raise money for the hospital.
In her final diary entry forPEOPLEbefore takeoff, Arceneaux said she felt “so calm and excited” ahead of the adventure.
“I expected to be nervous at this point. And it’s not that it hasn’t sunk in — I’m VERY aware that I’m about to go to space — but I’m feeling so peaceful about it,” she wrote.
“It’s definitely not lost on me how lucky I am to be where I am,” Arceneaux added.
source: people.com
