Crew of Inspiration4 mission spends three days in orbit on SpaceX Crew Dragon module

The world’s first ever spaceflight crewed entirely by ‘amateur astronauts’ launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 15 September. The crew of the Inspiration4 mission spent three days in orbit on board one of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon modules, returning to Earth on 18 September by splashing down into the Atlantic Ocean.

The flight was commanded and paid for by billionaire Jared Isaacman. He was accompanied by Helen Arceneaux, a paediatric cancer survivor and the first person in space with a prosthetic limb; Dr Sian Procter, the first black woman to pilot a spacecraft; and Chris Sembroski, who won his seat in a contest to raise money for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The mission orbited at 575km, over 150km above the International Space Station (ISS).

As the radiation at this altitude is more intense, the crew participated in a number of medical studies to see how each of their bodies coped with the flight.

Then, on 5 October, a Russian actress and director spent 12 days on the ISS filming the first movie shot in space, beating Tom Cruise who announced his plans to film on the ISS last year. inspiration4.com

Photo: SPACEX