Inspiration4 | Launched

[Elderberry]

SpaceX 9/15/2021


SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, September 15 at 8:02 p.m. EDT (Thursday, September 16 at 00:02 UTC) for launch of the Inspiration4 mission – the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit – aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Approximately three days after liftoff, Dragon and the Inspiration4 crew will splash down at one of several possible landing sites off the Florida coast.

SpaceX’s webcast for launch of the Inspiration4 mission will go live about 4 hours before liftoff.

Inspiration4 is commanded by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer. Joining him are Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and pediatric cancer survivor; Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer; and Mission Pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pv01sSq44w

[Elderberry]

NY Times By Kenneth Chang 9/15/2021

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/science/spacex-launch-time-schedule-inspiration4.html

Here’s what you need to know about the three-day orbital journey of four Americans, none of them professional astronauts.

When the next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center this week, it’ll be a space mission unlike any that has come before.

There will be four people inside the capsule on top of the rocket, just like the last two SpaceX missions that took NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. But this time, none of the four passengers work for NASA or any other space agency.

This mission, called Inspiration4, is the brainchild of Jared Isaacman, the billionaire founder of Shift4, a company that provides payment processes services. Three other people — none of whom Mr. Isaacman knew before he recruited them for the launch — will join him on a trip that will circle Earth for three days before splashing down off the coast of Florida.
When is the launch and how can I watch it?

A five-hour launch window opens Wednesday at 8:02 p.m. Eastern time. The exact time will depend on the weather. Current forecasts give an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions.

If the flight can’t launch during that five-hour time frame, the crew could try again on Thursday at 8:05 p.m. Eastern time.

Who is Jared Isaacman?

He grew up in New Jersey and dropped out of high school at age 16 to work for a payments processing company. He did obtain a general educational development certificate, or G.E.D.

After half a year, Mr. Isaacman figured out a new way to handle payment processing, and in 1999 he founded his own company in his parents’ basement. That evolved into Shift4 Payments, which went public in June 2020.

Mr. Isaacman started flying as a hobby, learning to pilot advanced aircraft, including military fighter jets. Last year, Mr. Isaacman was discussing an investment in SpaceX when he tried to convince the company’s officials of his enthusiasm by telling them he wanted to buy a trip to orbit someday. That led to conversations that resulted in Mr. Isaacman undertaking the Inspiration4 mission. He will serve as the mission’s commander.

Who are the other crew members?

Hayley Arceneaux, 29, is a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

Sian Proctor, 51, is a community college professor from Tempe, Ariz. Dr. Proctor, who holds a doctorate in science education, was among 47 finalists whom NASA selected for an astronaut class in 2009.

Christopher Sembroski, 42, of Everett, Wash., works in data engineering for Lockheed Martin. During college, Mr. Sembroski had worked as a counselor at Space Camp.

[Elderberry]

T= 57 Minutes

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

[Elderberry]

T-20 Minutes    Stage 2 Fuel Load Complete.

[Elderberry]

T- 7 Minutes - Engine Chill

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T-3 Minutes Strong Back is retracting Lox Load Complete

[Elderberry]

Liftoff!!!!

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MECO

Stage Separation Complete

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Trajectory Nominal

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Nominal Orbital Insertion

Stage1 Landing Complete

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Dragon Separation

[Elderberry]

             Jude the Inspiration4 space puppy

[Elderberry]

SpaceX's Inspiration4 launch boosts population of space to record-breaking 14

Space.com by Mike Wall 9/16/2021

https://www.space.com/inspiration4-spacex-launch-14-people-earth-orbit-record

Earth orbit has never been so crowded.

The launch of SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission last night (Sept. 15) brought the population of the final frontier to 14, one more than the previous high.

Those 14 folks are living aboard three different spacecraft. The Inspiration4 crew — Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski — are zooming around Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Meanwhile, the International Space Station currently hosts seven people: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur and Mark Vande Hei; Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Oleg Novitskiy; Japan's Akihiko Hoshide; and the European Space Agency's Thomas Pesquet. And Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are living aboard Tianhe, the core module for China's planned Tiangong space station.

More at link./quote]

[godblessRonaldReagan]

Damn, Elon Musk is a badass!

[Elderberry]

In Photos: Behold A Jaw-Dropping ‘Space Jellyfish’ As First All-Civilian Mission Reaches Earth Orbit

Forbes by Jamie Carter 9/16/2021

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2021/09/16/in-photos-behold-a-jaw-dropping-space-jellyfish-as-first-all-civilian-mission-reaches-earth-orbit/?sh=4ee32f8978ee

The first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth is now circling our planet—and it got there after a spectacular “space jellyfish” or “rocket jellyfish.”

The odd phenomenon—pictured above—was captured by the Inspiration 4 mission’s official photographer John Krauss moments after the history-making launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable rocket at 8:02 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. His incredible images are on the Inspiration4 Flickr page.

So what is a “space jellyfish?”

When a rocket is launched just after sunset—as this one was—an exhaust plume of gases creates a halo that’s illuminated by the Sun from underneath the horizon. You have to be standing in darkness to see it.

You can see more images of “space jellyfish” from previous rocket launches here.

[Elderberry]

See SpaceX Crew Dragon's new cupola window in space - Amazing Earth view!

 VideoFromSpace

SpaceX has released the view from of the new Crew Dragon cupola window and Earth that was captured by a camera mounted on exterior of the spacecraft. The Crew Dragon Resilience was outfitted with the window for the Inspiration4 mission.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PiSWwon2kI

[cato potatoe]

I watched this from the NC coast last evening.  It looked like a comet moving right to left.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Inspiration4 mission shares first dazzling photos from orbit

Mashable: https://mashable.com/article/spacex-inspiration4-orbit-photos

When you're orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 360 miles, it turns out the views are pretty special.

Late on Thursday, the official Inspiration4 Twitter account shared four images taken on board the flight, including some awesome shots of the spacecraft's cupola — the transparent viewing dome which offers those aboard a unique glimpse of the Earth far below.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX flight has raised $130M of its $200M goal for children’s cancer research

MarketWatch by Leslie Albrecht 9/16/2021

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/spacex-flight-has-raised-130m-of-its-200m-goal-for-childrens-cancer-research-11631823909?mod=mw_NBF

A fundraising campaign ending next February has brought in more than $31 million for St. Jude hospital, on top of billionaire Jared Isaacman’s $100 million pledge

[Elderberry]

Samuel Adams Is Coming Out With ‘Space Beer’ Made From Hops Launched Into Orbit on SpaceX’s Inspiration4

Outsider by Clayton Edwards September 17, 2021

https://outsider.com/lifestyle/samuel-adams-coming-with-space-beer-made-hops-launched-orbit-spacex-inspiration4/

Samuel Adams has a wide range of beers. No matter what the season, mood, or pairing, the Boston-based brewer has you covered. Soon, some lucky beer enthusiasts will be able to pick up suds with components that traveled over 350 miles into space.

According to Business Insider, it all started last month when the head of the company funding SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission sent out a tweet. Jared Isaacman, owner of Fast4Company announced that he would be auctioning off 66 pounds of hops that are aboard the rocket. It didn’t take long for the Samuel Adams Twitter account to jump on the offer. The brewery replied, “Space hops! Far out. We’re all about taking beer to new places. We’ll take this to the brewery team.”

However, this isn’t just a billionaire selling space hops. In fact, all of the money from the sale of the hops will go to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. So, Samuel Adams is getting the opportunity to produce some unique beer while also helping children who need it most. Somehow, I can’t help but believe that the charity behind the brew will make it that much better. 

Samuel Adams will donate $100,000 to St. Jude. However, it is only a fraction of Isaacman’s goal of raising $200 million for the hospital’s cancer research.

[mystery-ak]

Talk about a room with a view! SpaceX shares a mesmerising video of the domed window on its Crew Dragon capsule as the first all-civilian crew begins its three-day orbit of Earth

    Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski launched into space last night on board a modified Crew Dragon module
    The four civilians will spend three days in orbit around Earth
    SpaceX has shared a stunning video of the domed window on the module

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Published: 04:40 EDT, 16 September 2021 | Updated: 06:22 EDT, 16 September 2021

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9996859/SpaceX-shares-video-window-Crew-Dragon-capsule-begins-three-day-orbit-Earth.html

[Joe Wooten]

I wonder how many of them are suffering from motion sickness??? Usually 1 in 4 astronauts get sick the first day or two in orbit.

[Elderberry]

Inspiration4 | In-Flight Update with the Crew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E71ffwc13y4&feature=youtu.be

[Elderberry]

Watch the return to Earth of Inspiration 4

 Spaceflight Now

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the first all-private, non-government crew to fly in low Earth orbit is scheduled to re-enter the atmosphere and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT) Saturday. The return to Earth will close out a three-day mission in space for the Inspiration4 crew.

Our cameras will be watching the skies over Cape Canaveral in the hope of catching a glimpse of the returning capsule.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0RjxKrLNw

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

[Elderberry]

Loss of Com. Start of Blackout Period.