It’s now clear just who will hop aboard SpaceX’s first all-civilian flight. NBC News’ Today show has revealed the two remaining crew members for Inspiration4, and they’re clearly up to the task. Chris Sembroski (shown at far left) is a 41-year-old Air Force veteran and Lockheed Martin employee. Dr. Sian Proctor (second from left), meanwhile, is a 51-year-old entrepreneur, educator and experienced pilot.
Sembrosi was picked out of 72,000 people contributing to a fundraising drive for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while judges chose Proctor from 200 entrants in a Shift4Shop competition.
They join mission leader Jared Isaacman, the Shift4 CEO who’s paying for the trip, as well as 29-year-old cancer survivor and St. Jude physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux. She’ll set records as both the youngest American to go to space as well as the first person with a prosthesis to make the journey.
Inspiration4 doesn’t have a firm launch date. Isaacman told Today it could blast off “before the end of September.” It’s also unclear just what the crew will do once it’s in orbit, although it will involve blood samples and plant seeds. You can safely assume that many eyes will be on this mission, though. While it’s something of a publicity grab for Shift4 (if as part of a fundraising effort for St. Jude), it represents a huge step toward a future where civilians regularly travel to space, whether for work or tourism.
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