Billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital physician assistant Hayley Arcenaux and two others participating in the first all-civilian space mission to orbit Earth will be helping with research on how space affects the human body.
On Sept. 15, the crew of four will launch to space as part of Inspiration4, a private, $200 million fundraising effort and space mission benefiting Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Mr. Isaacman chartered a rocket and spacecraft from SpaceX for the mission, dubbed Inspiration4, according to an Aug. 31 news release.
Ms. Arceneaux, who is also a pediatric cancer survivor, Mr. Isaacman, data engineer Chris Sembroski and geoscientist Sian Proctor will perform various experiments once in orbit around Earth. The crew will orbit Earth for three days before returning to the planet via splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX also is working with the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine and investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine on the mission. The group will collect environmental and biomedical data as well as biological samples from the Inspiration4 crew before, during and after the mission. During the mission, the crew will collect and test blood droplets only.
The crew members will share the following data during the mission: ECG activity, movement, sleep, heart rate and rhythm, blood oxygen and light and sound levels within the spacecraft. The researchers also will monitor both behavioral and cognitive performance and organ systems.