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From blasting off to splashing down, here's how SpaceX's all-civilian crew made history
Making history, SpaceX's charity-driven mission named Inspiration4 safely returned to the earth with all 4 four civilian crew members in a Dragon capsule that splashed down off Florida at 7 pm EDT (September 19 at 4:30 IST). Here is a collection of pictures illustrating the journey of amateur astronauts.
Updated:Sep 19, 2021, 09:20 AM IST
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Beginning of a historic journey
The Inspiration4 team blasted off on Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral atop one of SpaceX`s two-stage reusable Falcon 9 rockets.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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Amateur astronauts
The Inspiration4 team was led by its wealthy benefactor, Jared Isaacman, chief executive of the e-commerce firm Shift4 Payments Inc, who assumed the role of mission "commander." Isaacman was joined by three less affluent crewmates he had selected - geoscientist and former NASA astronaut candidate Sian Proctor, 51, physician`s assistant and childhood bone cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, 29, and aerospace data engineer and Air Force veteran Chris Sembroski, 42.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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Up in space
Within three hours, the crew capsule had reached a cruising orbital altitude of just over 363 miles (585 km) - higher than the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope, and the farthest any human has flown from Earth since NASA`s Apollo moon program ended in 1972.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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Incredible space experience
In a single day after the space tourists reach their destination, they experienced more than 25 sunrises and 25 sunsets. In the three days of their space vacation, astronauts chatted with the patients of St. Jude Children`s Research Hospital for which they have raised funds. They even had a nice chat with Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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Astronauts' special suits
Tremendous heat generated from atmospheric friction during the free-fall to Earth was expected to send temperatures surrounding the outside of the capsule soaring to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,927 degrees Celsius). The astronauts` flight suits are designed to keep them cool if the cabin heats up.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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History was made
The crew made a safe return to the earth after three days of the journey. This journey is historical as it marked the first step towards space tourism. It also marked the debut flight of Musk`s new space tourism business and a leap ahead of competitors likewise offering rides on rocket ships to well-heeled customers willing to pay a small fortune to experience the exhilaration of spaceflight and earn amateur astronaut wings.
(Image Credit: Twitter/Inspiration4)
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