For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – After a history making journey to space the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew of first time space travelers aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on the first privately financed mission to Earth orbit splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean offshore of the Florida Space Coast Saturday, Sept. 18, just before sunset and not too far from their starting launch point on their incredible voyage to the High Frontier Wednesday evening, Sept 15, just after sunset.
The Inspiration4 all-civilian crew of four non-professional astronauts splashed down at approximately 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT) some 30 miles (50 kilometers) offshore of the east coast of Florida and the Kennedy Space Center – thus concluding the historic flight some 71 hours after liftoff.
The goal of Inspiration was raising awareness and fundraising of hundreds of millions of dollars as a charity benefit fortifying childhood cancer science research and patient treatment for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“Inspiration4, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home to planet Earth,” radioed Kris Young, SpaceX’s space operations director, moments after splashdown. “Your mission has shown the world that space is for all of us, and that everyday people can make extraordinary impacts in the world around them.
“Thank you for sharing your leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity,” Young said, referring to the mission’s four pillars associated with each of the four Inspiration4 crew members.
“Thanks so much, SpaceX. It was a heck of a ride for us,” replied Jared Isaacman, the billionaire mission commander who self-financed the flight. “We’re just getting started.”
Splashdown! Welcome back to planet Earth, @Inspiration4x! pic.twitter.com/94yLjMBqWt
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2021
The history making mission was the brainchild of and commanded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments payment processing system who is also an accomplished jet fighter pilot and adventurer, as well as a high school dropout.
Happy. Healthy. Home.
Welcome back to Earth, @ArceneauxHayley, @rookisaacman, @DrSianProctor, and @ChrisSembroski!#Inspiration4’s mission doesn’t end here — help us reach our $200 million fundraising goal for @StJude! https://t.co/NBUL2e3f4x pic.twitter.com/hhNQydWVJJ
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 19, 2021
The entire Inspiration4 flight from start to finish was near flawless for the first private commercial mission to orbit with no government involvement or financing, which utilized a SpaceX developed Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon astronaut spaceship – with funding and technical help from NASA – in a magnificent triumph for the space company led by visionary billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The #Inspiration4 Crew Makes Evening Splashdown, Completing World’s First All-Civilian Orbital Mission to Space: https://t.co/NB4dV6DYgA pic.twitter.com/TTUVhkmnJF
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 18, 2021
On September 15 the crew of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight mission launched to orbit at 8:02:56 PM EDT (0002:56 GMT) shortly after sunset Wednesday evening on a now thrice flown SpaceX Falcon 9 from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Inspiration4 is the world’s first all civilian mission to low Earth orbit with a crew of four private people
We heard twin sonic booms as the SpaceX Dragon soared overhead of us on the Florida Space Coast in Titusville – bit as expected could not see any sign of the spaceship due to thick, dark clouds and thunder
The Inspiration4 mission is ushering in a new era of space exploration opening the door to space to “everyday people” to fly in space – beyond just highly trained government astronauts, qualified scientists and in a very few cases wealthy individuals who could afford the steep price tag of a seat aboard Russian Soyuz capsules.
“Few have come before, and many are about to follow,” Inspiration4 Commander Jared Issacman said from inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft soon after achieving orbit Wednesday. “The door is now open, and it’s pretty incredible.”
Isaacman personally arranged the flight with SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk and financed the Inspiration4 mission with his own funds and is paying for the seats of the other three private passengers aboard – none of whom knew one another until they were selected in February and March earlier this year.
In addition to Isaacman the crew is comprised of three private U.S. citizens who were either selected by Isaacman or through competitions; 29-year old Hayley Arceneaux, a bone cancer survivor who was treated as a 10 year old at St. Jude and is now a physician’s assistant at the hospital, 51-year old Sian Proctor, a pilot, artist geoscientist, science communicator and finalist in the 2009 astronaut selection process, and 42-year old Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data analyst who works at Lockheed Martin.
Arceneaux is now the youngest American to achieve orbit and the first person in space with a prosthesis – a metal rod in her leg from the bone cancer treatment. She will serve as medical officer of the three-day mission.
https://twitter.com/inspiration4x/status/1438242568870023170
Teams on SpaceX’s Go Searcher recovery ship quickly arrived on scene after the splashdown, secured the spacecraft and hoisted it onto the main deck of the ship, within an hour.
Crew of @Inspiration4x – first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit – returns to Earth pic.twitter.com/pnjkDjnkAw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2021
The Inspiration4 crew members egressed the spacecraft one by one and received medical checks before a helicopter ride back to Kennedy Space Center.
The entire crew was in great spirits and health and flashing thumbs up after they were assisted out of the capsule and on deck
This is how we do it!! ❤️👩🏾🚀🚀🌏🐉 pic.twitter.com/9YNscA2jF7
— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) September 19, 2021
The absolute most incredible experience of my life. Can’t wait to share more with you all! ❤️ https://t.co/Ptbbsro9OC
— Hayley Arceneaux (@ArceneauxHayley) September 19, 2021
Overall this is the fourth crewed flight for Crew Dragon following three missions for NASA to the ISS starting in May 2021.
Isaacman personally donated $100 million to St. Jude and the mission hoped to raise another $100 million in donations for a total of $200 million.
We loved space but it’s great to be home! 🌎 Incredible news on @elonmusk donation and surpassing the 200m goal for @StJude. Let’s keep it going! 🚀 On behalf of @inspiration4x – thank you all for the support and thanks to @SpaceX for bringing us home safe! Keep changing the 🌎
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 19, 2021
By the conclusion of the flight upon splashdown the Inspiration4 term announced they had raised over $160 million
SpaceX CEO then announced he donated another $50 million – and the $200 million goal was handily exceeded.
This brings tears to my eyes. Thank you @elonmusk for this generous donation toward our $200 million dollar fundraising goal for @StJude!!! https://t.co/SX5Nsu3VpR
— Hayley Arceneaux (@ArceneauxHayley) September 19, 2021
Please donate to St Judes Children Hospital to support research and treatments for childhood cancer patients.
The four-person crew spent three days in orbit after liftoff but was not planned to dock the International Space Station (ISS).
Several science experiments were planned involving medical examinations of the crew taking measurements and swabs
They flew aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience – which has flown once before on the Crew-1 mission for NASA to the ISS.
Falcon 9 delivered Crew Dragon and the Inspiration4 4 person crew to a circular orbit of 585km (363 mi) – a new Dragon altitude record!
That altitude is roughly 100 miles (160 km) above the ISS orbit.
Since Dragon is not docking to the ISS SpaceX removed the docking system and replaced it with a three-layer plexiglass domed cupola to offer an unimpeded 360 degree spectacular panoramic view out the top of the spacecraft of the Earth and space after the nose cone unlatches and opens
Crew of @Inspiration4x taking in the views from Dragon's cupola observation dome pic.twitter.com/bjOUguRqhx
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2021
The Dragon cupola is flying for the first time and SpaceX tweeted this image – which shows a more curvatured & stunning view of Earth from the SpaceX CrewDragon
View from Dragon’s cupola pic.twitter.com/Z2qwKZR2lK
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 16, 2021
Furthermore the crew is flying higher than any humans have flown since NASA’s final shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009 on STS-125.
The next astronaut mission for NASA is sleated for liftoff on Oct. 31 of the Crew 3 mission to the ISS
The ‘flight proven’ Falcon 9 1st stage booster B1062 has flown twice before on a pair of GPS satellite delivery missions to orbit for the U.S. Space Force.
The booster again nailed a successful landing on the Just Read the Instructions (JRTI) droneship some eight minutes after liftoff and will be reflown on a future mission.
Falcon 9’s first stage booster has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship!
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 16, 2021
Check out our photos of the launch and prelaunch periods at the pad and KSC press site of the rather sooty rocket and Crew Dragon taken at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Playalinda Beach taken by the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright.
Here is a list of historic mission firsts:
- First all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit
- First black female spacecraft pilot
- Youngest American in space
- First person to fly to space with a prosthetic
- Farthest flight for a human spaceflight since the Hubble missions
- First time SpaceX has operated three Dragons in space
- First free-flight of a Dragon spacecraft on a human spaceflight mission
- Largest contiguous window ever flown in space
- First splashdown of a Dragon crew in the Atlantic Ocean
- First thrice-flown Falcon 9 booster to launch a human spaceflight mission
The adventures of the eclectic crew are being documented in a multipart series currently airing on Netflix about the mission, called “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.”
The four crew members represent the four mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity – each with a seat on the mission.
Isaacman represents leadership as the mission command and benefactor
My commentary and analysis about Inspiration4 has been featured in several stories on WKMG CBS News Orlando and WFTV ABC News Orlando on Sep 13, 14 and 15.
WKMG CBS
WFTV ABC
Ken and Jean are onsite at KSC for live reporting of the Inspiration4 mission.
Watch Ken’s continuing reports about SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragons, Artemis and NASA missions, SLS, Orion, SpaceX Starlink, Commercial Crew and Starliner and Crew Dragon and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Crew 1 & 2, ISS, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, NRO spysats and national security missions and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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