SpaceX once again becomes the talk of the Twitter town following the successful launch of its very first all-civilian mission to space. It seems like the space exploration company is determined to achieve milestone after milestone with renewed vigor. Missions like these break down the wall that had barred space exploration for non-astronauts making it possible for normal civilians to explore and experience space. However, let us not forget that this might not be the cup of tea for every civilian out there since embarking on such a journey will cost a fortune. Although it seemingly breaks down the inherent elite element of space travel, it does put forth a division as to who can avail this prerogative. All said and done, it cannot be denied that this all-civilian mission is a rather big step that breaks down boundaries and magnifies the scope of space exploration and travel.
SpaceX launches four civilians into orbit on historic Inspiration4 flight https://t.co/QNbfhXT7JH pic.twitter.com/dB2qVjPug1
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) September 16, 2021
The What and How
Wednesday marked the day of the milestone mission when SpaceX launched four private citizens to space, thereby holding the record of being the very first crewed mission without any professional astronauts. The mission aptly called “Inspiration4” can be counted as the first major step towards normalizing space travel for civilians aka paying tourists. The mission was carried out by Falcon 9, and onboard was the crew that consisted of four civilians. The crew consisted of the founder of Shift 4 Payments, Jared Issacman, who is also a billionaire entrepreneur and a trained pilot. Issacman chose and paid for the rest of the crew namely Hayley Arceneaux, Christopher Sembroski, and Sian Proctor. Arceneaux is a cancer survivor and physician, Sembroski, a data engineer, and Proctor, a geoscientist, in addition to being a former NASA astronaut candidate. Apart from being the first all-civilian mission to space, Inspiration 4 also serves as a fundraiser for St.Jude’s children’s hospital. Although the amount paid by Issac man for the crew is not revealed, speculations and estimates point to a sum of about $55 million.
The mission is designed to be more of a tourist model in contrast to the trips of NASA astronauts who adhere to a more professional model. The crew is also packed with activities. And we can expect to witness some ukulele playing by Sembroski and some poetry and art by Proctor. The mission is spread over a course of three days and the exact time when the capsule will reenter the earth will be determined by the weather conditions around Florida costs.
Responses on Twitter
As usual, Twitter has been filled with excited reactions and responses following the news of the launch. While the majority of the responses are in appreciation for the success of the launch, the others are looking forward to further missions in the future that will create new milestones and success stories. Let us go through the numerous reactions and responses on Twitter.
Let’s start with a rather special tweet.
Congratulations to @ElonMusk and the @SpaceX team on their successful Inspiration4 launch last night. Another step towards a future where space is accessible to all of us.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) September 16, 2021
Inspiration4 'space puppy' doubles as zero-g indicator and fundraiser on SpaceX mission https://t.co/FpNLZJnbcP pic.twitter.com/loVKZ3yjfG
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) September 16, 2021
SpaceX's Inspiration4 launch boosts population of space to record-breaking 14 https://t.co/vxXBb63OS4 pic.twitter.com/ZzfvZqewXX
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) September 16, 2021
One more of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Inspiration4 crew uphill from @washpostnewton pic.twitter.com/Mtx1aHdsWn
— Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) September 16, 2021
Covering Inspiration4’s launch from @SpaceflightNow’s prime perch at the KSC press site. Still a thrill after seeing 160+ launches! pic.twitter.com/YgZ6FUa2m8
— Stephen Clark (@StephenClark1) September 16, 2021
Godspeed Inspiration4. Photo by @washpostnewton pic.twitter.com/rMqfoARQck
— Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) September 16, 2021
Another gorgeous Falcon 9 launch for SpaceX. Inspiration4. pic.twitter.com/xaPMqAGSLY
— Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) September 16, 2021
SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell:
“The all-civilian Inspiration4 astronauts are paving the way for a future where space is more accessible to all who wish to go, and we are so proud that they entrusted us to fly them."https://t.co/2H1uPXOL52
— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) September 16, 2021
The ISS flew right over us after Inspiration4 launched, which means I've seen 11 spacefarers in the sky tonight. Not bad.
— Marina Koren (@marinakoren) September 16, 2021
“Everything looking great for the Inspiration 4 crew” ? #Inspiration4 Go go @DrSianProctor! pic.twitter.com/OaYDo1uBMS
— SpaceKate (@SpaceKate) September 16, 2021
This was a cool moment before the crew went up the launch tower:
Inspiration4 commander @rookisaacman giving crew photographer @johnkrausphotos (SpaceX Ninja #30) a quick fist bump pic.twitter.com/eAACaS3qlj
— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) September 15, 2021
Our final update of the SpaceX Inspiration4 launch story — the crew reached space and is now embarking on their three-day trip in orbit: https://t.co/S47lpS5kBV
— Samantha Masunaga (@smasunaga) September 16, 2021
