First Ever All Civilian Space Crew

Beth Thompson, Reporter

    Many people have dreamed of being an astronaut and going to space, but only few have actually done it. But on September 15, 2021 history was made. The first ever all civilian crew was sent into Earth’s orbit. The mission was called Inspiration4, to help inspire the children at St. Judes Children’s Hospital. The crew consisted of Hayley Arceneaux, Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor, and Chris Sembroski. The Inspiration 4 mission sent the crew up into space to orbit the Earth for a total of three days. They underwent training like most astronauts, and were prepared for if anything were to go wrong. The only thing that did happen was a malfunction with one of the onboard toilets. While they were in orbit, they had a talk with some of the children and their families from St. Judes, of which you can watch the video on their website. One of the main goals of the mission was to raise money for St Judes. The founder of SpaceX, Jared Isaacman, started the fundraiser by donating $100 million of his own money, reaching the halfway goal of $200 million. Overall they raised $222 million, exceeding expectations. The crew landed down successfully in the Atlantic Ocean.