Inspiration4 mission raises $210 million for St. Jude

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The historic all civilian space crew that spent three days in orbit is back.

The Inspiration4 crew splashed down Saturday in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

“Each of us has been changed in a way that we didn’t expect, and for me, it was being able to see the Earth in a way that made me realize to see in person,” Inspiration4 crew member Chris Sembroski said.

The purpose of the SpaceX mission was to conduct scientific research designed to advance human health on Earth and long space flights.

It was also an effort to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Jared Isaacman, Inspiration4 commander, CEO, and entrepreneur, contributed the first $100 million of the mission’s $200 million goal.

Also on the historic journey, mission pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, and 29-year-old St. Jude physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux who was a special tie to the hospital.

“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around because I think of myself as an ordinary person, but I hope that people can relate to me,” Arceneaux said.

At just 10-years-old, Arceneaux survived bone cancer. She was a patient at St. Jude.

“I’ve had some difficulties in life, but I think everyone has in some way. I think everyone has had to overcome something, and I just, I hope people can look at my story and know that holding onto hope that there will be better days is so important,” Arceneaux said.

Monday, Arceneaux tweeted a photo of herself on a treadmill, flexing her muscles, sharing the pride of carrying the first internal prosthesis into space.

The Inspiration4 mission raised $160 million and one tweet later, reached $200 million with a commitment from SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Copyright 2021 WMC. All rights reserved.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.