The crew’s vehicle is scheduled for the explosion of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday.
Washington:
For the first time on Wednesday, SpaceX will send into orbit a crew made up entirely of complete novices, with no professional astronauts on board.
The four passengers are supposed to embody the opening of the space to everyone, giving the mission its name: Inspiration4.
A billionaire, Jared Isaacman, is behind the project. He was the one who rented the mission, at his expense, inviting three anonymous people to join him, through a rather original selection process. Each seat has been assigned to represent a specific value.
Jared Isaacman, billionaire pilot
Isaacman is the commander of the mission.
The 38-year-old American is the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, which offers stores and restaurants a service for processing bank card transactions.
He created it when he was 16, from the basement of the family home.
Passionate about piloting, he has a record of flying around the world with a light aircraft and is qualified to fly several military aircraft. In 2012 he founded a company that provided training to U.S. Air Force pilots, called Draken International.
Married father of two daughters, he has always been passionate about space exploration.
In 2008 he witnessed the take-off, aboard a Russian rocket in Kazakhstan, of one of the first private tourists to visit the International Space Station, Richard Garriott. It was after that experience that he contacted SpaceX.
His seat represents “leadership.”
Hayley Arceneaux, cancer survivor
Arceneaux was treated for bone cancer when he was a child at St. John’s Hospital. Jude of Memphis, Tennessee, for whom Jared Isaacman organized a fundraiser. He works there today as a doctor’s assistant.
At 29, she will be the youngest American to be sent into orbit around the Earth and the first person with a prosthesis to enter space.
She will be the medical officer in charge of the mission. His seat represents “hope.”
Sian Proctor, professor and astronaut candidate
Proctor, 51, teaches geology at a small Arizona school.
Born in Guam, her father worked at NASA during the Apollo missions. He participated in an experiment in Hawaii simulating life on Mars and twice presented himself at NASA to become an astronaut.
In 2009, he was among a few dozen finalists from more than 3,500 candidates. She will be the only African-American woman to enter space.
She will be the pilot of the mission, assisting the commander.
He won his seat, representing “prosperity,” by creating a space-linked online sales site, as part of a business competition organized by the Isaacman company.
Chris Sembroki, Air Force veterinarian
A 42-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Iraq, Sembroki now works in the aerospace industry for Lockheed Martin in Washington state.
He was selected after making a donation as part of a fundraiser for St. John’s Hospital. Jude.
His seat represents “generosity.” Their role will be to help manage cargo on board and communications with Earth.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)