Inspiration4 Mission Pilot Dr. Sian "Leo" Proctor shared one of the most remarkable Inspiration4 Mission updates on Twitter as the civilian crew opened the SpaceX cupola for the first time, revealing the incredible view of Earth.
This was followed by the Mission Commander's update as Jared Isaacman posted on Twitter his clip of the planet's view from the Crew Dargon cupola.
Amazing views from Crew Dragon Resilience’s cupola. @ArceneauxHayley, @DrSianProctor, @ChrisSembroski & I were so fortunate to have this perspective and we will do all we can to share the experience with the 🌎. The @inspiration4x mission to inspire and support @StJude continues pic.twitter.com/jiZK8hsBJo
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 22, 2021
The planet's amazing view from space is just one of the many shared space spectacles as the all-civilian spaceflight completed their in-flight missions, aiming to raise funds for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is the main goal of the human space mission.
The crew's Inspiration4 Mission updates from selfies to a fish-eye view of the planet from the cupola captured the interest of many as they went about their on-orbit missions inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience, which launched atop the Falcon 9 launch vehicle on 16 September 2021 at 00:02:56 UTC.
From the Kennedy Space Center, the capsule reached the low Earth orbit, commencing the in-flight missions, which ended with a splashdown in the Atlantic on 18 September 2021 at 23:06:49 UTC.
The Inspiration4 Mission's three-day spaceflight was filled with wonder as the civilian crew is left in awe every time they witness the marvels of space. Meanwhile, SpaceX kept everyone posted and thrilled as they shared the Inspiration4 Mission updates, including the launch, in-flight updates, and splashdown on YouTube and Twitter.
Splashdown! Welcome back to planet Earth, @Inspiration4x! pic.twitter.com/94yLjMBqWt
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2021
One of the heartwarming moments during the Inspiration4 Mission was the Q & A with the patients of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The crew appeared with a cute floating space puppy, similar to those that accompany and cheer up the children in the hospital, even during their lab tests. You can also buy the space puppy, and all its sales go to St. Jude.
The Inspiration4 Mission updates did not stop even after the splashdown as the astronauts took to Twitter their heartfelt thanks for the once-in-a-lifetime experience that got to raise funds for a great cause. The mission commander extended his gratitude for surpassing the fundraising goal of the Inspiration4 Mission.
We accomplished all of our on-orbit objectives but the most emotional point for me was shortly after splashdown when we learned we surpassed our @StJude fundraising goal. On behalf of @inspiration4x and to all the supporters of our mission - Thank you! https://t.co/eigXD6XKsS
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 20, 2021
SpaceX's efforts to launch an all-civilian crew spaceflight via the Inspiration4 Mission are not only for a charitable cause but also to open the possibility of space tourism and cut the costs of spaceflight, making it available to everyone.
You can also watch the crew's interview after splashdown via NBC News:
