Sunday, September 19, 2021

SpaceX Civilian Capsule Returns Safely

 



SpaceX Capsule returned safely after a 3 day trip in earth's orbit. And the craziest part is that the crew was internally civilian. Although the seats were paid for by a billionaire named Jared Isaacman this marks a new age for space exploration. Or as Todd Ericson would say “Welcome to the second space age”. You might be asking yourself how someone without the extensive knowledge of an astronaut could accomplish such a feat. Although the crew went through some basic safety procedures they were not fully trained as the whole mission was controlled by SpaceX including the launch and landing of the capsule. After the capsule had landed each of the four members was taken to receive medical analysis on the recovery ship. All four seats cost approximately 200 million according to time magazine which is far out of reach for most of us unfortunately. But fortunately the flight raised 160 million$ for St Jude which includes a 100$ donation by Jared Issacman. What is also amazing about the flight is how little went wrong. They only had 2 minor problems during the flight and they both were easily resolved. In addition to the minor problems the participants also had to deal with Space Adaptation Syndrome which is dealing with the vertigo and other stresses that the change in acceleration due to gravity produces. But overall the mission was a great success and a huge stepping stone for space tourism although for now only being accessible by the ultra wealthy. 


-Anthony Kindness


SOURCE:https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/spacex-capsule-with-worlds-first-all-civilian-orbital-crew-set-splashdown-2021-09-18/


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