After three days in space, the four nightly space tourists returned from Saturday to Sunday with necessary cosmic beginnings in their back pockets.
For example, they are part of the first full civilian crew that was in Earth orbit. In addition, they resided in an unusually high orbit, 575 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, higher than the International Space Station. The last time humans were away from our planet was in 1997, during a space shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
panoramic dome
On board, travelers frequently used the specially-mounted panoramic dome on the part that SpaceX’s Crew Dragon crew usually uses to dock with the International Space Station. However, a visit to that station was not on the itinerary.
From that dome they saw sunrise and sunset about 15 times a day. The craft eventually became visible to about 90 percent of the world’s population as a fast-moving spot in the night sky. At least: if you know where to look.
emergency training
Unlike the space tourists who boarded competitors Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic and found themselves back on Earth after a glorious rollercoaster ride that lasted a few minutes, the Inspiration4 crew also had to undergo rigorous training prior to their spaceflight. These training sessions were recorded in the documentary ‘Countdown: inspiration4 mission to spaceOn streaming service Netflix, which is another service first. Never before have space tourists been a reality star at the same time. The final episode of the series, which revolves around the crew’s experiences in space and their return to Earth, will be on Monday Expected on the broadcast service.
During training, the crew went through several sessions in the simulator, sometimes more than thirty hours in a row. During those training sessions, they practiced, among other things, what they could do when various emergency scenarios emerged during their cosmic journey. Fortunately, they did not have to apply this comprehensive disaster training.
Children’s Hospital
Where the space missions of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have been widely criticized as pointless fun flights by billionaires, SpaceX Inspiration4 has tried in various ways to give a more human image.
One of these methods was the mission’s express purpose of raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which conducts research in children’s cancer. That’s why on board was hospital employee Hayley Arsenault, who herself recovered from bone cancer in her youth.
In total, mission accomplished In their own words It exceeded the pre-set goal of $100 million – thanks in part to a last-minute donation from SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Donate $50 million.
