Jakarta –
The SpaceX Inspiration4 mission is arguably more than just a space tour, not only because of the destination, but also because of the purpose of the science and the crew on board.
The mission is scheduled to launch on Wednesday (15/09) at 20:02 EDT or Thursday (16/09) at 07.02 WIB from Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Complex 39A was the site where Apollo missions were launched in the late 1960s, including Apollo 11, which was the first mission to successfully land humans on the Moon.
The crew of Inspiration4 will later spend several days orbiting the Earth before finally landing back off the coast of Florida in the US.
Inspirational goals
A total of four people will take part in this mission, two women and two men. Not all of them are white. The mission aims to raise US$200 million (Rp2.8 trillion) for St. Children’s Research Hospital. Jude in the US, a hospital specializing in the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
You might argue that it would be much easier for SpaceX to donate $200 million outright, given that the cost of a single seat for the company’s space tours is $55 million per seat.
However, as said at the beginning, this is more than just space tourism. This is a civilian space science mission. In addition, the researchers also say that some medical experiments are best carried out in space because of the lack of gravity there.
Inspirational orbit
On its website, SpaceX describes the mission as “the world’s first orbiting civilian spaceflight.”
The four crew members will orbit Earth at an average altitude of 575 kilometers. That’s about 150 km higher than the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits Earth at an average altitude of 450 km.
Space is generally thought to begin at an altitude of about 100 km above sea level.
You are inspirational
Another thing that makes this mission more than just space tourism is the crew on board. They are officially civilians, not “official” astronauts from some national space agency. Who are they?
The mission commander, Jared Isaacman, for example, is qualified to fly commercial and military aircraft. SpaceX called Isaacman “an accomplished pilot and adventurer.” He is also the founder of a digital payments company called Shift4.
Hayley Arceneaux is a physician assistant at St. Children’s Research Hospital. Jude, where he himself was treated for bone cancer as a child.
Chris Sembroski was the man who lobbied for commercial spaceflight in the early days, paving the way for companies like SpaceX (according to their own claims). Sembroski served with the US Air Force and now works in the aerospace industry.
Finally, there is Sian Proctor who is a geoscientist. He was born in Guam, where his father worked at a NASA tracking station during the Apollo missions to the Moon. SpaceX describes Proctor as an analog astronaut — “a person who performs activities in simulated space conditions” — and he has completed four analog missions.
SpaceX said the four of them would conduct scientific research “designed to advance human health on Earth and during long-term spaceflights in the future.”
Inspirational ride
The crew will fly into space on a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on a spaceship or Dragon capsule. SpaceX claims Dragon is “the only spacecraft currently flying capable of bringing back such a large payload to Earth.”
Dragon has been equipped with a “curved observation dome”, where the capsule usually has a docking port that allows it to connect to the ISS.
From the dome, you will find an amazing view of the Earth, even if only enough for one person.
New inspiration
SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002, when many super-rich technologists in the US felt that space exploration was over.
Along with Musk, who made his first major income thanks to online payment platform PayPal, there was Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Richard Branson of Virgin, but SpaceX was the first private company to operate to ship and pick up payloads in space.
SpaceX has its own rockets, and launches a number of satellites, one of which is their large constellation of communications satellites known as Starlink. SpaceX also transports astronauts to the ISS. Furthermore, SpaceX is also part of NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to send humans back to the moon.
(Ed: rap/gtp)
(ita / ita)
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