The successful mission supports the idea of sending people into space, whether for tourism, international travel, or even cosmic colonization. A three-day “weekend” to remember? After successfully returning to Earth on Saturday, SpaceX’s four civilian astronauts may be asking themselves this question. Inspiration4 splashed down about 7 p.m. off the Florida coast. Since Thursday, the spacecraft has orbited the globe almost 50 times. Approximately an hour after splashdown, the astronauts stepped out of the spacecraft after recovering at sea. “That was a heck of a ride for us,” tweeted Isaacman after splashdown. “Congratulations @Inspiration4x!!!” Also via Twitter, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated.
Crew members spent their time orbiting Earth every 90 minutes (about 100 miles further out than the International Space Station); watching Earth from a specially installed glass called cupola on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule; conducting numerous science experiments; and occasionally enjoying the mission’s (“zero gravity indicator”). The team collected clinical information, such as data on heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and sleep quality, to assess changes in behavior and cognition. Musk announced Saturday night that he would contribute $50 million to the effort, helping the crew surpass the $200 million mark. 100 million dollars will be contributed by Isaacman.
A space tourism program will launch next year from SpaceX (with a cost of $55 million per seat reporting). SpaceX was selected by NASA in April to provide the Artemis program’s human landing system. Artemis challenges us to send a woman and then a man to the moon in the near future, and to establish sustainable exploration there. Artemis knowledge will be used to prepare astronauts for missions to Mars.
This story is attributed to Omar Abdulla, Content Developer at TECHx
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