SpaceX’s Completely Private Inpsiration4 Mission Proves Space is Safe for ‘Ordinary People’

The Inspiration4 crew were resting and recovering on Sunday after returning from their historic three-day space mission, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.

And they surpassed their goal of raising $ 200 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with a $ 50 million donation from SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

The four crew members were the first civilians to conduct a completely private orbital space mission without being accompanied by professional astronauts.

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“The most incredible experience of my life,” tweeted Hayley Arceneaux, a 29-year-old medical assistant in St. Jude who served as the mission’s chief medical officer. “I can’t wait to share more with all of you! “

Jared Isaacman, 38, the billionaire founder of Shift4 Payments, an internet payment processor, paid SpaceX an undisclosed amount for himself and three other people orbiting Earth for three days.

Besides Arceneaux, who was treated for bone cancer in Saint-Jude as a child, he was accompanied by Sian Proctor, 51, professor of geology and scientific communicator; and Chris Sembroski, 42, Lockheed Martin engineer and Air Force veteran.

An exclusive interview of the four by NBC News presenter Lester Holt is scheduled to air on NBC’s Today program Monday morning and on NBC Nightly News in the evening.

After plunging into the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Canaveral at 7:06 p.m., the Crew Dragon was transported aboard SpaceX’s Go Searcher support boat. The crew were then transported by helicopter to Kennedy Space Center, where they reunited with their families.

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“What an incredible adventure! I’m so happy to be home on earth and to be back with my family, ”Sembroski tweeted. “There is so much to share! What an incredible team @ inspiration4x! Thanks @SpaceX! “

The mission aimed to raise $ 200 million for St. Jude, the renowned Memphis, Tennessee-based research hospital that focuses on childhood cancers and pediatric diseases, with Isaacman pledging the first $ 100 million. dollars.

By splashdown, more than an additional $ 60 million had been raised through live broadcasts, contests to win seats on Dragon and other public events.

Then came this simple tweet from Musk: Count me for $ 50 million.

“It brings tears to my eyes,” Arceneaux tweeted in response. “Thank you @elonmusk for this generous donation towards our fundraising goal of $ 200 million for @StJude !!!”

The crew conducted medical research during their three days in orbit, which will hopefully give researchers a better understanding of the impact of space travel on “ordinary people.” Only about 600 people have ever flown in space, the vast majority of relatively young Caucasian males in excellent physical condition.

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In a way, the crew turned out to be similar to professional astronauts: They experienced space sickness, or “space adaptation syndrome,” during the first day in orbit as they seated themselves. ‘used to being in a microgravity environment. But their experience was roughly comparable to that of the NASA astronauts.

“It shows that average men and women aren’t more or less prone to space adaptation syndrome than, you know, NASA astronauts, which I think will be some of the amazing science that this mission brings. “said Todd, Inspiration4 mission director. “Leif” Ericson at a post-splashdown press briefing. “This opens a whole new chapter in spaceflight. “

Space enthusiasts are hoping this new chapter will include a lot more space travel for non-professional astronauts, and a price that ultimately becomes affordable for people other than billionaires. The Resilience capsule used by Inspiration4 is going to be refurbished and used next year to transport a professional astronaut and three others to the International Space Station for an eight-day visit.

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NASA even said last year that it was in talks with Tom Cruise to shoot a movie on the ISS.

There hasn’t been an update on the Cruise movie deal since last year, but a movie is slated to be filmed on the ISS next month.

A Russian actress and director is expected to visit the station next month aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. They will shoot scenes for a film about a surgeon sent to the ISS to save a Russian astronaut.

“There is tons of interest,” said Benji Reed, director of human spaceflight programs for SpaceX. “And he’s growing up now, a lot.”

Reed said he can see SpaceX go pretty quickly to five or six private space missions a year.

SpaceX doesn’t talk about pricing for its trade missions, but The Washington Post reported that the three men SpaceX was flying to the ISS next year were paying $ 55 million each. This is the same amount NASA pays the company to transport one of its astronauts to the station.

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SpaceX says it expects the price of space travel to drop quickly and become more mainstream. He often compares space tourism to air travel, which was first available only to the wealthy in the early days of commercial aviation.

Still based on current prices, it’s hard to imagine space travel being affordable for the middle class anytime soon. For comparison, the price of a one-way trip on a Pan Am China Clipper – the most luxurious aircraft of the 1930s – a flight from San Francisco to Manila was $ 950, the equivalent of about $ 19,000. today, and that included overnight stays at Pan Am. hotels in Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island and Guam.

Yet the Inspiration4 mission proved that you don’t have to be a square-jawed, crew-cut fighter pilot to have the “right things”.

“Welcome to the second space age,” Ericson said.